ABSTRACT. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the usefulness of the vertebral heart score (VHS) in coughing dogs withchronic degenerative mitral valve disease (MVD). Survey thoracic radiographs of 90 dogs with a history of cough and clinical andechocardiographic evidence of MVD were evaluated by 2 independent observers. The observers were asked to first determine the originof the cough as cardiac, non-cardiac or mixed and then to measure the VHS. Agreement regarding diagnosis of the origin of cough wasobtained (kappa=0.64) in 69 dogs. Of these 69 dogs, 28 (41%), 32 (46%) and 9 (13%) had a cough of cardiac, non-cardiac and mixedorigin, respectively. The dogs with a cough of non-cardiac origin had a significantly lower VHS (mean ± SD, 11 ± 0.9) compared withthose of dogs with a cough of cardiac or mixed origin (12.8 ± 1 and 12.9 ± 0.9, respectively). Receiver operating characteristic curveanalysis showed that a VHS ≤ 11.4 is fairly accurate for exclusion of a cough of cardiac origin in dogs with MVD. The results indicatethat the VHS may be an additional tool for differentiating the origin of cough in dogs with MVD.[...]
Use of the Vertebral Heart Score in Coughing Dogs with Chronic Degenerative Mitral Valve Disease
DI TOMMASO, MORENA;
2009-01-01
Abstract
ABSTRACT. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the usefulness of the vertebral heart score (VHS) in coughing dogs withchronic degenerative mitral valve disease (MVD). Survey thoracic radiographs of 90 dogs with a history of cough and clinical andechocardiographic evidence of MVD were evaluated by 2 independent observers. The observers were asked to first determine the originof the cough as cardiac, non-cardiac or mixed and then to measure the VHS. Agreement regarding diagnosis of the origin of cough wasobtained (kappa=0.64) in 69 dogs. Of these 69 dogs, 28 (41%), 32 (46%) and 9 (13%) had a cough of cardiac, non-cardiac and mixedorigin, respectively. The dogs with a cough of non-cardiac origin had a significantly lower VHS (mean ± SD, 11 ± 0.9) compared withthose of dogs with a cough of cardiac or mixed origin (12.8 ± 1 and 12.9 ± 0.9, respectively). Receiver operating characteristic curveanalysis showed that a VHS ≤ 11.4 is fairly accurate for exclusion of a cough of cardiac origin in dogs with MVD. The results indicatethat the VHS may be an additional tool for differentiating the origin of cough in dogs with MVD.[...]I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
