Transthoracic M-mode echocardiographic assessment of pulmonary vein-to-pulmonary artery ratio in healthy horses.
Abstract: Equine cardiovascular structures and function are routinely assessed by transthoracic echocardiography. Recently, investigators have described the echocardiographic visualization of equine pulmonary vein ostia. In companion animals, the right pulmonary vein (RPV) to right pulmonary artery (RPA) ratio has been used as an index to estimate the severity of cardiac diseases resulting in left ventricular volume overload. We sought to assess the feasibility of measuring RPV and RPA dimensions, and sought to provide various previously examined RPV and RPA variables in clinically healthy horses that could be used to assess cardiopulmonary disease status. Echocardiographic examination was prospectively performed in 70 healthy horses. The RPV and RPA were visualized using a modified right parasternal long-axis view and maximum and minimum diameters of both vessels were measured from 2D guided M-mode traces. The aortic diameter (Ao) was measured from the right parasternal short-axis view in early diastole. These measurements were then used to produce various ratio indices. RPV and RPA were imaged in all 70 horses. Median of the minimum and maximum RPV/RPA was 0.51 and 0.60, respectively. Median fractional dimensional change of vessels was 33% for RPV and 22% for RPA. The medians of the minimum and maximum RPV/Ao and RPA/Ao were 0.18, 0.28, 0.35 and 0.46, respectively. No relationships between either bodyweight or heart rate and any of the vein or artery variables were identified (maximum r2 = 0.04). Inter- and intra-observer measurement variability was very good for all RPV and RPA measurements. Measuring of RPV and RPA diameters using M-mode transthoracic echocardiography is feasible in healthy horses. Further studies of these variables in horses with cardiac diseases are needed to determine the clinical applicability and utility.
Publication Date: 2019-08-14 PubMed ID: 31412072PubMed Central: PMC6693752DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0221154Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Clinical Trial
- Veterinary
- Journal Article
Summary
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The research article discusses the application of M-mode transthoracic echocardiography to measure the dimensions of the right pulmonary vein (RPV) and right pulmonary artery (RPA) in healthy horses. This method may be useful for detecting variations related to heart diseases in horses.
Study Methodology
- The researchers used a transthoracic echocardiography technique, specifically M-mode, to observe and measure the dimensions of the RPV and RPA in 70 healthy horses.
- These views were obtained in a modified right parasternal long-axis view.
- Both the maximum and minimum diameters of the horse’s RPV and RPA were measured from 2D guided M-mode traces.
- The aortic diameter was also measured in early diastole from the right parasternal short-axis view.
- All these measurements were used to create various ratio indices that might be helpful in diagnosing and assessing heart conditions.
Findings
- The RPV and RPA were successfully imaged in all the 70 horses in the study. The median of the minimum and maximum ratios of RPV to RPA were 0.51 and 0.60, respectively.
- The study also found the median fractional dimensional change of vessels, which was 33% for RPV and 22% for RPA.
- The medians of the minimum and maximum ratios of RPV and RPA to the aortic diameter (Ao) were found to be 0.18, 0.28, 0.35, and 0.46, respectively.
- No significant relationships were identified between either the bodyweight of the horse or its heart rate, and any of the vein or artery measurements.
Conclusion
- This study asserts the feasibility of measuring the dimensions of RPV and RPA using M-mode transthoracic echocardiography in healthy horses.
- Measurement variability was found to be very low between different observers, which adds to its reliability.
- However, more investigations are required to determine how applicable this method is to clinical usage and its utility in identifying cardiac diseases in horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Caivano D, Corda A, Rishniw M, Giorgi ME, Parpaglia MLP, Conti MB, Porciello F, Birettoni F.
(2019).
Transthoracic M-mode echocardiographic assessment of pulmonary vein-to-pulmonary artery ratio in healthy horses.
PLoS One, 14(8), e0221154.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0221154 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy.
- Veterinary Information Network, Davis, California, United States of America.
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America.
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy.
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Aorta / diagnostic imaging
- Echocardiography
- Female
- Horses / anatomy & histology
- Male
- Pulmonary Artery / diagnostic imaging
- Pulmonary Veins / diagnostic imaging
Conflict of Interest Statement
One of Authors (MR) has a commercial affiliation with VIN but this does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.
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Citations
This article has been cited 3 times.- Corda A, Corda F, Caivano D, Saderi L, Sotgiu G, Mollica A, Birettoni F, Porciello F, Pinna Parpaglia ML. Ultrasonographic assessment of abdominal aortic elasticity in hypertensive dogs. J Vet Intern Med 2020 Nov;34(6):2337-2344.
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