Electrocardiographic and radiographic findings of pulmonary hypertension due to dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs

Abstract

The left sided cardiac diseases are one of the common causes of pulmonary hypertension in dogs and various causes including mitral valve disease, myocardial diseases or any left side of heart disease. Dogs with clinical signs suggestive of cardiac diseases were subjected to detailed clinical examination, physical examination and special examination including electrocardiography, radiography and echocardiography. Among 165 dogs screened for cardiac disorders, 61 (36.96%) were diagnosed with DCM out of which, ten (16.39%) had pulmonary arterial hypertension. The predominant electrocardiographic changes noticed in dogs with pulmonary hypertension due to DCM were atrial fibrillation, right axis deviation, bradycardia, P. pulmonale and P. mitrale. All the ten dogs with pulmonary hypertension due to DCM had interstitial pattern and cardiomegaly, four dogs had dilated pulmonary artery on lateral and ventro-dorsal thoracic radiography.