Assessment of radiographic left atrial dimension and C-reactive protein in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease

Radiographic left atrial dimension (RLAD) is a valuable metric for assessing left atrial enlargement in dogs.While there have been studies on the use of RLAD and the increase in C-reactive protein (CRP) levels based on heart disease stages, there has been no prior research on the correlation between RLAD and CRP.In this study, the objective was to investigate the relationship between the rise in RLAD as myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) stages advance and the increase in CRP levels with MMVD stage progression.In this study, a total of 30 small-breed dogs were included as subjects.These dogs were diagnosed with MMVD at the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) stage B1 or B2, or stage C, based on a comprehensive assessment including physical examination, thoracic radiography, and echocardiography.Measurements of VHS and RLAD were compared to assess any significant differences.There were significant differences in RLAD between dogs with MMVD ACVIM stage B1 and those with stage C.The monocytes and CRP levels showed significant differences between ACVIM stage B1, B2 and ACVIM C. Additionally, a significant correlation was observed between the RLAD and VHS measurements.This underscores the notable association between MMVD stage advancement and elevated monocyte and CRP levels.The RLAD scores exhibited a significant difference among dogs with ACVIM stages B1, B2, and C, and significant variations were also observed in monocyte and CRP levels.These results suggest that monocyte and CRP levels may be a valuable diagnostic indicator for heart disease in dogs during the diagnostic evaluation.