Radiographic cardiopulmonary changes in dogs with heartworm disease

摘要

Canine dirofilariasis or heartworm disease caused by Dirofilaria immitis is a serious animal life threatening disease. Adult worms live in the lung arteries and right heart, causing cardiovascular and pulmonary parenchyma changes. The aim of this study was the radiographic evaluation of the dogs’ thorax naturally infected with D. immitis in southern Romania. Medical records of 83 dogs (45 males and 38 females), diagnosed positive for D. immitis with thorax radiographs have been reviewed. Fifty- six (67.47%) were pure breeds and 27 (32.53%) mongrels, aged between 2 and 16 years (7.51 years average). Sixty-two dogs (74.70%) presented cardiopulmonary radiographic changes and 21 dogs (25.30%) were without radiographic signs. Sixty dogs (72.29%) had vascular radiographic changes, 51 dogs (61.44%) had pulmonary parenchymal changes, 39 dogs (46.99%) had changes in heart shape and silhouette, and 2 dogs (2.41%) had pleural effusions. On lateral radiographs, the average VHS rate on the evaluated dogs was higher than the reference. The obtained results suggest that thoracic radiography represents a useful tool in assessing the presence and severity of cardiopulmonary changes in dogs infected with D. immitis.