Comparison between radiographic and echocardiographic methods for predicting left atrial remodeling in dogs with mitral valve disease

• Grant number: 22/01146-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2022
• End date: March 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Clinics and Surgery
• Principal Investigator: Wagner Luis Ferreira
• Grantee: Natália Babolim Pereira
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária (FMVA). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araçatuba. Araçatuba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Mitral valve disease is a degenerative and progressive disease that is the leading cause of congestive heart failure in dogs. It is characterized by anatomical and histological changes in the heart valves, which culminate in blood regurgitation into the atria. Thus, left atrial enlargement is considered the main indicator of the severity of blood regurgitation in dogs with this alteration. The echocardiographic examination is the gold standard diagnostic method for assessing atrial size. However, radiography is a widely accessible and more economical method. The Vertebral Left Atrial Size (VLAS) is a recently proposed tool for radiographic measurement of the left atrium and for clinical staging of dogs with mitral valve disease. From this, the present study aims to compare predictive measures of left atrial remodeling by echocardiographic and radiographic methods in dogs with mitral valve disease. The sample population of the project will consist of dogs diagnosed with myxomatous valve disease seen at the Veterinary Hospital "Luiz Quintiliano de Oliveira" of UNESP Araçatuba (SP), in which echocardiographic and radiographic evaluations will be performed. These data will be statistically analyzed seeking to visualize the existence of a positive or negative relationship between echocardiography and VLAS, thus evaluating the diagnostic accuracy and clinical usefulness of this radiographic method. (AU)