RADIOGRAPHIC MEASUREMENT OF VERTEBRAL HEART SCALE, SPHERICITY INDEX AND NUMBER OF INTERCOSTAL SPACES IN CATS WITH VARIOUS LUNGWORM INFECTIONS
- 1. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Trakia University
- 2. Trakia University
Description
Infection with respiratory nematodes in cats leads to functional disturbances in the activity of the cardi-ovascular system, finding expression in clinical and radiographic changes. The purpose of this study is to determine absolute and relative heart size in cats infected by Aelurostron-gylus abstrusus (Strongylida: Angiostrongylidae), Troglostrongylus brevior (Strongylida: Crenosomatidae) or mixed invasion by correlating heart size and selected skeletal structures.
Forty cats with confirmed pulmonary parasites infestation (22 with A. abstrusus, 6 with Т. brevior and 7 with mixed invasion) are included in this study. Мeasurements were made on obtained lateral and ventrodorsal radiographs. The following cardiac indices are reported: vertebral heart score (VHS), the ratio between the length and the width of the heart and the number of intercostal spaces occupied by the heart silhouette.
Mean +/- SD vertebral heart score of all groups are between 7.14±0.22 and 8.1±0.89 vertebrae, SI is from 0.64±0.02 to 0.76±0.05. Heart shade occupy from 2.08±0.15 to 2.46±0.21 intercostal spaces. No significant statistical differences are found among the cats infected with lungworms and unaffected ones in control group, which leads to no signs of cardiomegaly in infected cats.
Files
VM-9_1-2024(16)-9-14.pdf
Files
(366.0 kB)
| Name | Size | Download all |
|---|---|---|
|
md5:5d3f6da16c96ad8df047f7541236b0fe
|
366.0 kB | Preview Download |
Additional details
Identifiers
Dates
- Issued
-
2024-07-06
References
- Campbell E. (2007). Cardiac Effects of Pulmonary Disease. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice, 37(5), 949–962
- Crisi E., Traversa D., Di Cesare A., Luciani A., Civitella C., Santori D., Boari A. (2015). Irreversible pulmonary hypertension associated with Troglostrongylus brevior infection in a kitten. Research in Veterinary Science, 102, 223-227.
- Dirven M., Szatmári V., van den Ingh T., Nijsse R. (2012). Reversible pulmonary hypertension associated with lungworm infection in a young cat. Jurnal of Veterinary Cardiology; 14(3):465-74.
- Elsheikha M., Schnyder M., Traversa D., Di Cesare A., Wright I., Lacher D. (2016). Updates on feline aelurostrongylosis and research priorities for the next decade. Parasites & Vectors, 9(1):389.
- Farrow C. (1994). The thorax. In: Farrow CS, ed. Radiology of the cat. St Louis: Mosby Year Book Inc, 1994; 50–52, 91–93.
- Genchi M., Ferrari N., Fonti P., De Francesco I., Piazza C., Viglietti A. (2014). Relation between Aelurostrongylus abstrusus larvae excretion, respiratory and radiographic signs in naturally infected cats. Veterinary Parasitology, 206 (3-4), 182-187
- Ghadiri A., Avizeh R., Rasekh A., Yadegari A. (2008). Radiographic measurement of vertebral heart size in healthy stray cats. Jurnal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. 2008 Feb;10(1):61-5.
- Guglielmini C., Baron Toaldo M., Poser H., Menciotti G., Cipone M., Cordella A., Contiero B., Diana A. (2014). Diagnostic accuracy of the vertebral heart score and other radiographic indices in the detection of cardiac enlargement in cats with different cardiac disorders. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. 16(10):812-25.
- Guglielmini C. & Diana A. (2015). Thoracic radiography in the cat: Identification of cardiomegaly and congestive heart failure. Journal of Veterinary Cardiology. 17 Suppl 1:S87-101
- Lacava G., Zini E., Marchesotti F. (2017). Computed tomography, radiology and echocardiography in cats naturally infected by Aelurostrongylus abstrusus. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 19: 446–453.
- Litster A.L. & Buchanan J.W. (2000) Vertebral Scale System to Measure Heart Size in Radiographs of Cats. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 216, 210-214.
- Napoli E., Pugliese M., Basile A., Passantino A., Brianti E. (2023). Clinical, Radiological, and Echocardiographic Findings in Cats Infected by Aelurostrongylus abstrusus. Pathogens. 7;12(2):273.
- Sleeper M., Roland R., Drobatz K. (2013). Use of the vertebral heart scale for differentiation of cardiac and noncardiac causes of respiratory distress in cats: 67 cases (2002-2003). 2013. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. 242(3): 366-71.
- Stepanović P., Despotović D., Dimitrijević S., Ilić T. (2020). Clinical-parasitological Screening for Respiratory Capillariosis in Cats in Urban Environments. Helminthologia. 2020 Nov 19;57(4):322-334
- Traversa D. & Guglielmini C. (2008). Feline aelurostrongylosis and canine angiostrongylosis: A challenging diagnosis for two emerging verminous pneumonia infections. Veterinary Parasitology. 157. 163-74.
- Vezzosi T., Perrucci S., Parisi F., Morelli S., Maestrini M., Mennuni G., Traversa D., Poli A. (2020). Fatal Pulmonary Hypertension and Right-Sided Congestive Heart Failure in a Kitten Infected with Aelurostrongylus abstrusus. Animals (Basel); 10(12):2263.
- Zajac A. & Conboy G. (2012). Veterinary clinical parasitology. 8 th. ed. Ames, Iowa: Willey-Blackwell, 2012, 5-28.