Clinical presentation, echocardiographic findings, treatment strategies, and prognosis of dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease presented with pericardial effusion due to suspected left atrial tear: a retrospective caseโcontrol study
A.A. Czech a, T.M. Glaus a, F. Testa b, G. Romito b,M. Baron Toaldo
Received 4 January 2023; received in revised form 9 October 2023; accepted 6 November 2023
Abstact (Conclusions and Clinical Relevance)
Left atrial tear (LAT) is a life-threatening complication in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD). The study objective was to describe clinical presentation, echocardiographic findings, treatment strategies, and survival in dogs with LAT compared to a control group of dogs with a similar stage of MMVD but no LAT. Dogs with MMVD and LAT have a high short-term mortality; however, when surviving the acute phase, the long-term prognosis may not differ from dogs with a similarly advanced degree of MMVD but without LAT.
