Histologic examination of dogs with clinically diagnosed dilated cardiomyopathy reveals two distinct forms: the fatty infiltration-degenerative type and the attenuated wavy fiber type.
What are the distinct histologic characteristics of canine dilated cardiomyopathy?
Canine dilated cardiomyopathy presents as two distinct histologic forms, highlighting the utility of histologic examination for early or definitive diagnosis when echocardiographic criteria are not wholly specific.
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), characterized by chamber dilatation and myocardial systolic and diastolic dysfunction, is one of the most common heart diseases in dogs. The clinical diagnosis is based on findings on echocardiographic and Doppler examinations, with the active exclusion of other acquired or congenital heart diseases. However, the echocardiographic criteria for the diagnosis of DCM are not wholly specific for the disease, and histologic examination may be necessary for final diagnosis. Review of reports on histologic findings in dogs with clinically diagnosed DCM reveals two histologically distinct forms of DCM: 1) cardiomyopathy of Boxers and Doberman Pinschers, corresponding to the "fatty infiltration-degenerative" type and 2) the form seen in many giant, large-, and medium-sized breeds, including some Boxers and Doberman Pinschers, classified as the "attenuated wavy fiber" type of DCM. The histologic changes of the attenuated wavy fiber type of DCM may precede clinical and echocardiographic signs of heart disease, thus indicating an early stage of DCM.
Tidholm et al. (Sat,) conducted a review in Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy. Histologic examination was evaluated. Histologic examination of dogs with clinically diagnosed dilated cardiomyopathy reveals two distinct forms: the fatty infiltration-degenerative type and the attenuated wavy fiber type.
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