Research Communications of the 27(th) ECVIM-CA Congress: Intercontinental, Saint Julian's, Malta, 14th to 16th September 2017

Disclosures: No disclosures to report. Pulmonary hypertension (PH) may lead to right ventricular (RV) remodeling, dysfunction and right-sided congestive heart failure (R-CHF). RV enlargement and dysfunction are strongly associated with prognosis in humans with PH. Reference intervals for RV size and systolic function have been described in healthy dogs. The aims of this study were to assess RV size and systolic function in dogs with PH and to verify if they are associated with severity of PH. This was a prospective, multicenter, observational study. We included 138 client-owned dogs: 64 with PH and 74 healthy. PH was classified according to tricuspid regurgitation pressure gradient (TRPG) in mild (TRPG: 36-50 mmHg; n = 18 dogs), moderate (TRPG: 51-75 mmHg; n = 14 dogs) and severe (TRPG >75 mmHg; n = 32 dogs). Fourteen dogs with PH had R-CHF. Echocardiographic evaluation of the RV was obtained from the left apical 4-chamber view optimized for the right heart. RV dimension was evaluated through the RV end-diastolic area (RVEDA) index, calculated as RVEDA divided by body surface area. Echocardiographic indices of RV systolic function were tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) and RV fractional area change (FAC) normalized for body weight (TAPSEn and FACn, respectively).