A 2 year old neutered male DSH cat was presented for evaluation of a grade II/VI systolic murmur. The owner declined blood work.
A 2 year old neutered male DSH cat was presented for evaluation of a grade II/VI systolic murmur. The owner declined blood work.
Mild hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with mild dynamic outflow obstruction. Persistent arrhythmia. Vegetative mitral valve. No left atrial enlargement.
Systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve was evident, as well as vegetative contour to the valve leaflets themselves. The left ventricle presented excessive free wall thickness and septal thicknesses with hypertrophic contour. The chamber was somewhat restricted. Septal deviation was noted impinging into the left ventricular outflow tract. Contractility of the ventricular walls was considered excessive for this patient, evidenced by the fractional shortening measurement (Image 1). The left ventricular outflow tract demonstrated turbulent laminar flow without evidence of hemodynamically significant insufficiency. However, excessive outflow velocity was present (Video 2). A persistent arrhythmia was noted in this patient.
No therapy was recommended at the time of ultrasound due to compensated heart rate and chamber sizes. The arrhythmia was not frequent enough to treat medically. Infectious disease was to be considered as a potential cause of the mitral valve vegetation.
Heart murmur – valve insufficiency, cardiomyopathy (dilated, hypertrophic), congenital defect, metabolic (anemia), physiological murmur
None
