Open AccessPrevalence of Patent Foramen Ovale with Right‐to‐Left Shunting in Dogs with Pulmonic Stenosis
Author(s) -
Fujii Y.,
Nishimoto Y.,
Sunahara H.,
Takano H.,
Aoki T.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of veterinary internal medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.356
H-Index - 103
eISSN - 1939-1676
pISSN - 0891-6640
DOI - 10.1111/j.1939-1676.2011.00839.x
Subject(s) - medicine , patent foramen ovale , cardiology , right to left shunt , pulmonic stenosis , ventricle , shunt (medical) , stenosis , shunting , percutaneous
Background Right‐to‐left (R‐L) shunt caused by patent foramen ovale ( PFO ) concurrent with pulmonic stenosis ( PS ) is considered common, although there is a lack of published evidence. Objectives To investigate the prevalence of R‐L shunt caused by a PFO in dogs with PS . Animals Thirty‐one client‐owned dogs with PS , without obvious extracardiac disease detected on the clinical examinations. Methods Case control study: R‐L shunt probably caused by PFO was diagnosed when IV injected microbubbles appeared at the left atrial level with an intact atrial septum on echocardiography (bubble‐positive dogs). The severity of PS concurrent tricuspid regurgitation ( TR ), relative thickness of the right ventricle, and relative right atrial area were compared between bubble‐positive and bubble‐negative dogs. Results The prevalence of R‐L shunts caused by PFO was 39% (12 of 31 cases). The instantaneous pressure gradient ( PG ) across the pulmonic valve and relative thickness of the right ventricle were significantly increased in bubble‐positive compared with those in bubble‐negative dogs. None of the dogs with mild or moderate PS (pressure gradient < 80 mm Hg, n = 2) demonstrated R‐L shunt. The prevalence of TR in bubble‐positive dogs was significantly higher than that in bubble‐negative dogs. Discussion and Clinical Relevance Patent foramen ovale PFO with R‐L shunt was more common in dogs with very severe PS and absent in dogs with mild PS .