Echocardiographic identification of atrial-related structures and vessels in horses validated by computed tomography of casted hearts.

The research article investigates the use of echocardiography to identify atrial-related structures and vessels in horses’ hearts. A technique is developed and tested using computed tomography (CT) scans of casted equine hearts for validation.

Objective and Methods

• The primary objective of this study was to describe and evaluate an echocardiographic approach for identifying specific atrial-related heart structures and vessels in healthy horses.
• CT scans of two equine hearts casted with self-expanding foam were employed as a comparative model in this study.
• The scanned images of these casted hearts were segmented, and the resulting structures and vessels were used to validate the ultrasound imaging results of ten other healthy horses.
• The echocardiographic images were obtained from both the left and right parasternal views of the horses, with an emphasis on visualising the dorsal cardiac area.

Results

• On the newly proposed standard ultrasound view, specific atrial anatomical landmarks, such as the vena cava, pulmonary arteries, the intervenous tubercle, and the oval fossa, were identified in all the horses.
• Different ultrasound views were also defined to visualise the brachiocephalic trunk and the pulmonary veins, as well as their ostia (openings).
• The segmented CT images of the casted hearts were used to generate slices that matched the ultrasound views. These comparative views allowed for the accurate identification of specific heart structures.

Conclusions

• The analyses of the ultrasound images and casts were completed on different horses. As only a small number of casts and horses were used in the study, anatomical variation or individual differences potentially impacting the identification of structures via ultrasound were not evaluated.
• The promising findings suggest that important cardiac structures and vessels, including different pulmonary veins, can be identified via standard and nonstandard ultrasound images in adult horses.
• This newfound knowledge can aid in the advancement of equine interventional cardiology and may prove useful in both diagnostic and therapeutic contexts.