title: Prevalence of patent foramen ovale with right-to-left shunting in dogs with pulmonic stenosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Right-to-left (R-L) shunt caused by patent foramen ovale (PFO) concurrent with pulmonic stenosis (PS) is considered common, although there is a lack of published evidence.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the prevalence of R-L shunt caused by a PFO in dogs with PS.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-one client-owned dogs with PS, without obvious extracardiac disease detected on the clinical examinations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case control study: R-L shunt probably caused by PFO was diagnosed when IV injected microbubbles appeared at the left atrial level with an intact atrial septum on echocardiography (bubble-positive dogs). The severity of PS concurrent tricuspid regurgitation (TR), relative thickness of the right ventricle, and relative right atrial area were compared between bubble-positive and bubble-negative dogs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of R-L shunts caused by PFO was 39% (12 of 31 cases). The instantaneous pressure gradient (PG) across the pulmonic valve and relative thickness of the right ventricle were significantly increased in bubble-positive compared with those in bubble-negative dogs. None of the dogs with mild or moderate PS (pressure gradient < 80 mm Hg, n = 2) demonstrated R-L shunt. The prevalence of TR in bubble-positive dogs was significantly higher than that in bubble-negative dogs. DISCUSSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Patent foramen ovale PFO with R-L shunt was more common in dogs with very severe PS and absent in dogs with mild PS.
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine, Azabu University, Kanagawa, Japan. fujiiy@azabuu.ac.jp
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nishimoto
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sunahara
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takano
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aoki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D004285:Dogs; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000662:veterinary; D054092:Foramen Ovale, Patent / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D015995:Prevalence; D011666:Pulmonary Valve Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014262:Tricuspid Valve Insufficiency / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*