Association between Thoracic Radiographic Changes and Indicators of Pulmonary Hypertension in Dogs with Heartworm Disease

Abstract

Simple Summary: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a high-risk condition in dogs with heartworm disease (Dirofilaria immitis). Echocardiography is the diagnostic technique of choice to detect PH; however, it is not accessible to all routine clinicians. Therefore, given the importance of this condition during an infection with D. immitis, the aim of this study was to evaluate the association of the radiological findings in dogs with heartworm disease and the presence or absence of echocardiographically characterised PH. The results obtained suggest that the evaluation of certain radiographic measures may be useful in the preliminary evaluation of the thoracic radiographs of a dog as a preliminary screening when assessing whether to perform complementary tests to evaluate the presence of PH in dogs with heartworm disease. Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a consequence of pulmonary endarteritis during infection with Dirofilaria immitis in dogs. Echocardiography is the technique of choice but is not always accessible to all clinicians. This study aimed to evaluate the association of the radiological findings in dogs with heartworm disease and the presence or absence of echocardiographically characterised PH. The study included 62 heartworm-infected dogs that underwent thoracic radiographs and echocardiography. The studied dogs showed moderate to severe PH when the Right Pulmonary Artery Distensibility (RPAD) Index was <29.5%. The RPAD Index was used for comparison with thoracic radiographs. The Vertebral Heart Size (VHS), right cranial pulmonary artery passing through the fourth rib in the laterolateral projection (CrPA/R4) ratio, and right caudal pulmonary artery to the ninth rib in the dorsoventral projection (CdPA/R9) ratio showed significant differences between dogs with/without PH (p < 0.001). Sensitivity (sen) and specificity (sp) cut-off values were obtained: VHS >= 9.53 (sen 93.75%, sp 63.33%); CrPA/R4 >= 1.08 (sen 87.5%, sp 70%); and CdPA/R9 >= 1.10 (sen 96.88%, sp 76.66%). The CrPA/R4 and CdPA/R9 ratios showed potential as a preliminary screening tool for PH in heartworm-infected dogs, suggesting that they may reliably indicate the presence of PH and guide the decision for further diagnostic testing.