title: Echocardiographic measurement of cardiac valvular thickness in healthy cows, cows with bacterial endocarditis, and cows with cardiorespiratory diseases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine valvular thickness in healthy cows, cows with bacterial endocarditis, and cows with various cardiorespiratory diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  40 healthy Holstein adult cows (CONTROL), 6 adult cows with confirmed bacterial endocarditis (BE), and 10 cows with other cardiorespiratory disorders (NONBE).
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective study using right transthoracic echocardiographic examination in CONTROL, BE and NONBE cows. The valvular thicknesses of all cows were assessed in four different locations for all cardiac valves, and the maximal value was used for further analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean [±standard deviation (SD)] maximal thicknesses of the tricuspid, mitral, aortic, and pulmonary valves in the CONTROL group were 0.69 ± 0.10 cm, 0.85 ± 0.21 cm, 0.72 ± 0.17 cm, and 0.58 ± 0.12 cm, respectively. The maximal valvular thicknesses were less than 0.97 cm for the tricuspid, less than 0.91 cm for pulmonary, less than 1.05 cm for the aortic, and less than 1.28 cm for the mitral. In BE cows, the maximal valvular thickness of affected valves (median: 4.22 cm; range: 2.52-6.97 cm) and non affected valves (median: 0.75 cm; range: 0.45-1.52 cm) were significantly different (P = 0.0004). The maximal valvular thicknesses of the NONBE valves as well as the unaffected valves in the BE group were not significantly different compared to the CONTROL group valves.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using the mean ± 2SD formula for each valve in healthy cows, a thickness of tricuspid, mitral, aortic or pulmonary valves greater than 0.85 cm, 1.27 cm, 1.06 cm or 0.82 cm respectively should raise the suspicion of valvular bacterial endocarditis.
authors.affiliation: Clinique Ambulatoire Bovine, Département des sciences cliniques, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada. Electronic address: s.buczinski@umontreal.ca.
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Buczinski
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tolouei
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rezakhani
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tharwat
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000662:veterinary*; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D006351:Heart Valves / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000473:pathology*
keywords: Echocardiography; Endocardium; Heart disease; Valvular