Constrictive pericardial disease in the dog
Thomas, W.P.; Reed, J.R.; Bauer, T.G.; Breznock, E.M.
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 184(5): 546-553
1984
ISSN/ISBN: 0003-1488 PMID: 6706798 Document Number: 228827
In 13 dogs with constrictive pericardial disease (1 foreign body, 3 infective, 9 idiopathic), the most frequent clinical signs were ascites, tachypnoea, syncope, fatigue, and weight loss. Consistent diagnostic features include jugular venous hypertension and diminished heart sound intensity, increased P-wave duration and diminished QRS voltages on the ECG, pleural effusion and mild to moderate cardiomegaly on radiographs, and elevation and equilibration of atrial and ventricular diastolic pressures at cardiac catheterization. Marked fibrosis was limited to the parietal pericardium in most dogs, and subtotal parietal pericardectomy successfully relieved the syndrome in 6 of 10 dogs. The most common early postoperative complicaton was fatal pulmonary thrombosis. The lack of pronounced auscultatory and other physical findings caused initial diagnostic uncertainty in many of the 13 dogs, although pericardial effusion was most often suspected. Reliable presurgical diagnosis required a combination of physical, ECG, radiographical, and haemodynamic studies. Pericardial construction should be considered in dogs with evidence of right-side heart failure and signs suggesting pericardial effusion, but with atypical thoracic radiographs and without other features of congenital, valvular, myocardial, or other disease of the right side of the heart.