Laudhittirut T, Rujivipat N, Saringkarisate K, Soponpattana P, Tunwichai T, Surachetpong SD. Accuracy of methods for diagnosing heart diseases in cats.
Vet World 2020;
13:872-878. [PMID:
32636581 PMCID:
PMC7311870 DOI:
10.14202/vetworld.2020.872-878]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Accepted: 04/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Aim
This study aimed to determine the accuracy of the current methods for diagnosing heart diseases in cats.
Materials and Methods
The data of 58 cats were retrospectively retrieved. Cats were classified into two groups: Thirty-eight cats with heart diseases and 20 healthy cats. Echocardiography was the gold standard method for diagnosing heart disease. The results of seven methods were retrieved: (1) Vertebral heart score (VHS) with a cutoff value >8, (2) VHS with a cutoff value >8.5, (3) multiplication of cardiac length (L) and width (W), (4) multiplication of cardiac L and W divided by the L of the fourth sternal thoracic bone, (5) N-terminal Pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) point-of-care test, (6) subjective ultrasonographic assessment of the left atrial size, and (7) subjective radiographic assessment of the left atrial size. Cross-tabulation was used to calculate the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for each test. This study found that using the NT-proBNP point-of-care test was optimal in the diagnosis of cats with heart disease.
Results
The subjective ultrasonographic assessment of the left atrial size was good for diagnosing hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure.
Conclusion
This study showed that the more tests used, the higher the reliability of the diagnosis.
Collapse