title: Left atrial ejection fraction assessed by real-time 3-dimensional echocardiography in normal dogs and dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Real-time 3-dimensional (RT3D) echocardiography provides a novel technique for assessing left atrial ejection fraction (LAEF) in dogs.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Left atrial ejection fraction is associated with severity of myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Privately owned dogs; 101 with MMVD and 52 healthy control dogs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective observational study using RT3D echocardiographic estimations of LA volumes at atrial end-diastole and atrial end-systole to calculate LAEF in comparison with conventional 2-dimensional echocardiographic variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Left atrial ejection fraction decreased with increasing LA to aortic ratio (LA/Ao), percentage increase in left ventricular (LV) internal dimension, corrected for body weight (BW), in diastole (LVIDd inc%) and systole (LVIDs inc%), and age for MMVD dogs, and with BW for control dogs. The final models in the multiple regression analyses included LVIDd inc% and age for MMVD dogs, and BW alone for control dogs. LAEF varied widely in both MMVD dogs and control dogs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The wide variation of LAEF and the fact that LAEF does not appear to be an independent marker of disease severity suggest that the clinical importance of determining LAEF in dogs with MMVD might be limited.
authors.affiliation: Albano Animal Hospital, Danderyd, Sweden. anna.tidholm@gmail.com
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tidholm
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Höglund
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Häggström
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bodegård-Westling
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ljungvall
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016279:Atrial Function, Left / Q000502:physiology*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D004285:Dogs; D019560:Echocardiography, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis
keywords: Chronic valvular disease; Left atrial end-systolic and end-diastolic volumes; Real-time 3-dimensional echocardiography