Correlation between caudal pulmonary artery diameter to body surface area ratio and echocardiography-estimated systolic pulmonary arterial pressure in dogs

• Published in: Journal of Veterinary Science Vol. 17; no. 2; pp. 243 - 251
• Main Authors: Lee, Youngjae, Choi, Wooshin, Lee, Donghoon, Chang, Jinhwa, Kang, Ji-Houn, Choi, Jihye, Chang, Dongwoo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) The Korean Society of Veterinary Science 2016; 대한수의학회
• Subjects: Animals; Body Surface Area; Body Surface Area - veterinary; Dog Diseases; Dog Diseases - diagnostic imaging; Dogs; Echocardiography, Doppler; Echocardiography, Doppler - veterinary; Hypertension, Pulmonary; Hypertension, Pulmonary - diagnostic imaging; Hypertension, Pulmonary - veterinary; Original; Original Article; Pulmonary Artery; Pulmonary Artery - anatomy & histology; Reference Values; Republic of Korea; Retrospective Studies; ROC Curve; Sensitivity and Specificity; 수의학; caudal pulmonary artery; dog; pulmonary hypertension; echocardiography; body surface area
• ISSN: 1229-845X; 1976-555X
• DOI: 10.4142/jvs.2016.17.2.243

Caudal pulmonary artery diameter (CPAD) to body surface area (BSA) ratios were measured in ventrodorsal thoracic radiographs to assess the correlation between CPAD to BSA ratios and systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) in dogs. Thoracic radiographs of 44 dogs with systolic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and 55 normal dogs were evaluated. Systolic PAP was estimated by Doppler echocardiography. CPADs were measured at their largest point at the level of tracheal bifurcation on ventrodorsal radiographs. Both right and left CPAD to BSA ratios were significantly higher in the PAH group than in the normal group (p < 0.0001). Linear regression analysis showed positive associations between PAP and right and left CPAD to BSA ratio (right, p = 0.0230; left, p = 0.0012). The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that the CPAD to BSA ratio had moderate diagnostic accuracy for detecting PAH. The operating point, sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve were 28.35, 81.40%, 81.82%, and 0.870; respectively, for the right side and 26.92, 80.00%, 66.67%, and 0.822, respectively, for the left. The significant correlation of CPAD to BSA ratio with echocardiography-estimated systolic PAP supports its use in identifying PAH on survey thoracic radiographs in dogs.