| Radiographic diagnosis of canine heartworm disease without clinical signs |
|
Sung-shik Shin1, Young-woo Seo1, Jung-kee Kwon1, Sang-ki Kim1, Jong-taek Kim2 |
1College of Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Medical Research Center, Chonnam National University
2Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Kwangwon National University |
| 임상증세를 보이지 않는 개심장사상충증의 방사선학적 소견 |
|
신성식1, 서영우1, 권중기1, 김상기1, 김종택2 |
1전남대학교 수의과대학 및 동물의학연구소
2강원대학교 동물자원과학대학 부속동물병원 |
|
|
| Abstract |
|
Dirofilaria immitis, the causative agent of canine heartworm disease, inhabits mainly in the pulmonary arteries and the heart of dogs and cats, causing circulatory and respiratory disorders. Although diagnosis of the disease is based on the presence of microfilaria in the peripheral blood or of specific antigens released from the adult worms into the peripheral blood, the severity of the infection and the assessment of disease progression are based on the clinical signs and radiographic image analysis. We analysed 12 mixed-bred Jindo dogs naturally infected with Dirofilaria immitis without any clinical signs and compared the radiographic images of the heart and the lung with the number of adult worms at necropsy. The dorsoventral radiographs of 12 infected dogs revealed that the right caudal lobar pulmonary arteries (RCaLPA) were dialated in 66.7% of dogs, whereas the main pulmonary artery segment was enlarged in 50.3% of dogs. The cranial lobar pulmonary arteries (RCrLPA) were dilated or pruned in 33.3% of dogs. All dogs displayed the interstitial lung pattern, while the vertebral heart size (VHS) was of normal range. Although a range of 9 to 166 adult worms (av. 45.6) was found in the pulmonary arteries, in the heart or in the vena cava, no correlation with the radiographic findings and/or with the clinical signs was observed. |
| Key Words:
canine heartworm disease, Dirofilaria immitis, clinical signs, radiographic analysis, necropsy |
|
PDF Links
Full text via DOI
Download Citation
