Chronic Mitral Valve Insufficiency in Dogs: Recent Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment

Abstract

Chronic mitral valvular insufficiency (CMVI) is the most common acquired heart disease in dogs and is characterized by degenerative valvular changes causing progressive thickening of mitral leaflets and incomplete closure of mitral valve. As the disease progresses, it causes congestive heart failure (CHF) and pulmonary edema if the LA dilation cannot accommodate the volume overload by mitral regurgitation. Therefore, it is the most common cause of cardiac mortality in dogs. This chapter discusses general features of CMVI in dogs focusing on recent advances in diagnosis and treatment.

Prognostic Efficacy of Complete Blood Count Indices for Assessing the Presence and the Progression of Myxomatous Mitral Valve Disease in Dogs

“…Myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) is the most common cause of congestive heart failure (CHF) and the most common acquired cardiac disease in dogs, accounting for 75% of all heart disease cases [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. Conventional echocardiography and cardiac biomarkers, such as N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and cardiac troponin I (cTnI), are the gold standard methods for diagnosing CHF [ 1 ].…”