title: Right atrial and right ventricular ultrasound-guided biopsy technique in standing horses.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Endomyocardial biopsies could be a valuable tool in equine cardiology for diagnosing myocardial disease, which is probably underdiagnosed in horses because of lack of specific diagnostic measures and limitations of currently available diagnostic methods.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe a technique for serial right atrial and right ventricular endomyocardial biopsy in standing horses using a percutaneous approach through the jugular vein.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Biopsy was performed in 10 healthy standing horses sedated with detomidine, under continuous electrocardiography monitoring. A 10 cm (n = 6), 45 cm (n = 1) or 98 cm (n = 3) introducer sheath was inserted into the right jugular vein. Under echocardiographic guidance, a biopsy forceps was introduced through the sheath into the right ventricle and right atrium and endomyocardial biopsies were acquired.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all horses, 3 right ventricular biopsies were obtained from the right ventricular apex and 3 right atrial biopsies were obtained from the dorsal right atrial wall near the tuberculum intervenosum. The presence of myocardial tissue was confirmed by histology. All horses showed atrial and ventricular premature depolarisations associated with acquisition of the biopsies. In 9 horses, the arrhythmia disappeared after retraction of the forceps and introducer sheath. In one horse, ventricular premature depolarisations disappeared only after 8 h. No other complications were observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Endomyocardial biopsy of the right atrium and right ventricle could be performed in standing horses using a percutaneous approach through the jugular vein and was not associated with complications other than temporary arrhythmias. This technique may be useful for research purposes or as a diagnostic tool, although further research is needed to establish the safety of the technique in clinical patients with myocardial disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Large Animal Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Decloedt
authors.affiliation: Department of Large Animal Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: de Clercq
authors.affiliation: Department of Large Animal Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ven
authors.affiliation: Department of Large Animal Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: van der Vekens
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Poultry Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chiers
authors.affiliation: Department of Large Animal Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: van Loon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001706:Biopsy / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000473:pathology*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000473:pathology*; D006736:Horses; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*
keywords: cardiology; dysrhythmia; endomyocardial biopsy; horse; transvenous