Evaluation of Cardiologic Alterations in Radiographs of Dogs with Pneumonia Before and After Treatment

Abstract

Pneumonia, a common respiratory disease in small animals, causes significant hypoxemia in dogs due to reduced lung capacity and cardiac output. In addition, pneumonia may lead to cardiac complications. With this approach, the evaluation of the alterations in cardiac silhouette and main vessel views in dogs underwent treatment for pneumonia aimed in this study. For this purpose, radiographic data from 28 dogs with pneumonia diagnosed and treated were analyzed. The study evaluated the cardiological views in radiographs of dogs with pneumonia before and after treatment. The measurements included left atrial size, long axis, short axis, 4th thoracic vertebra, aorta width, caudal vein cava width, and thoracic width. Pre-treatment and post-treatment radiographs showed no alteration in the long and short axes of VHS, 4th Thoracic Vertebra, aorta and caudal vena cava width, and thoracic width. But the left atrial size was observed to be larger in pre-treatment radiographs than in post-treatment ones. Moreover, a strong positive correlation was detected between LA and LA/TV4 in pre- and post-treatment measurements, as well as for measurement differences between pre- and post-treatment radiographs. As a consequence, the radiographs used to monitor the treatment process of pneumonia may give an alert for cardiac complications in dogs with pneumonia as a first line.