Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy in a Siberian husky

Abstract

A seven-month-old male Siberian husky was presented with a recent history of anorexia, hindlimb weakness and syncope. Physical examination revealed severe tachycardia, tachypnoea and dyspnoea. Mucous membranes were pale and femoral pulses were weak. An electrocardiogram showed sustained ventricular tachycardia with a left bundle branch block configuration. Thoracic radiographs revealed slight right ventricular enlargement and two-dimensional echocardiography revealed mild right ventricular dilation at the cardiac apex and some hyperechogenic areas on the right side of the interventricular septum. Administration of intravenous lignocaine converted the ventricular tachycardia to sinus rhythm. The maintenance antiarrhythmic therapy consisted of oral procainamide and propranolol. Three weeks later the dog died suddenly. On postmortem examination, the right ventricular free wall was very thin at the apex, infundibulum and caudal aspect of the right ventricular parietal wall, similar to the 'triangle of dysplasia' of human patients. Histopathological examination revealed replacement of several areas of right ventricular free wall myocardium with connective tissue and fat. The right atrium and left ventricle were less severely affected by the same lesions. The clinical and pathological findings are similar to those reported in young people with arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy.

Immunofluorescent Localization of Plakoglobin Is Altered in Endomyocardial Biopsy Samples from Dogs with Clinically Relevant Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC)

“…Post-mortem histopathology was not performed on this dog, therefore a definitive diagnosis was not able to be confirmed. Furthermore, ARVC has been reported previously in breeds without a known familial link [27][28][29][30][31][32]. Whether the loss of PG signal in this case was a false positive result, or that this dog (a mongrel with unknown heritage) may have been affected by ARVC remains unknown.…”

Dilated Cardiomyopathy and Other Cardiomyopathies in Dogs

“…It is linked to a mutation of the striatin-coding gene located on chromosome 17 [16,[41][42][43][44][45][46][47]. Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy is characterized by fatty or fibrofatty infiltration of the right myocardium, which can also involve the left myocardium to a lesser degree as the disease progresses.…”

Bacterial Cellulose and ECM Hydrogels: An Innovative Approach for Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine

“…In dogs, the exact prevalence is unknown. There is a great predilection for the breed, directly affecting Boxers and English Bulldogs, although they have already been described in Weimaraner and a Husky [ 3 , 36 , 37 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 ]. Sudden death was reported in 39% of the 23 Boxer dogs that were followed in clinical trials [ 3 ].…”