engleski

Comparison of left atrial volume in working and non- working Belgian Malinois dogs

Left atrium (LA) is an important and valuable marker of cardiovascular function. Athlete's heart is a well known phenomenon, and it describes structural and functional changes of the heart prompted by intense training to accomodate a state of enhanced cardiovascular performance. It is associated with chamber enlargement and increased left ventricular mass and similar findings were described in studies in dogs. Since LA is a three- dimensional structure, studies have shown that volume is more accurate than linear measurements in estimation of LA size. Studies in human medicine showed that indexed LA volumes in trained athletes are higher, but no study evaluated the effect of intense physical activity on atrial volumes in dogs. The aim of this study was to determine if there is a difference in LA volumes between working and non-working Belgian Malinois dogs. Sixty five healthy dogs (37 female and 28 male dogs) aged 1 to 10 years with a mean weight of 27, 9 kg were included in our study. Dogs were divided in two groups: 34 dogs that had more than three hours of intense physical activity/day were classified as working dogs , and 31 dogs with less than three hours were classified as non-working. In all dogs a complete echocardiographic exam was performed and volume of LA in 2- and 4-chamber views was calculated using Simpson's method. Atrial volumes in working dogs were significantly higher than in non-working dogs, both in 2-chamber (18, 8 ml [12, 5-30, 6] vs.16, 3 ml [12, 1-29, 8], P 0, 006) and 4-chamber (18, 95 ml [12, 7-31, 2] vs. 16, 3 ml [12, 3-31, 2], P 0, 003) views. It is known that under changed physiologic states during intense physical activity marked remodeling of the heart occurs. Similar changes in terms of LA remodeling have also been observed in this study. In conclusion, LA remodeling and increase in volume is a physiologic response to intense physical activity in dogs.

heart ; left atrium ; volume ; Belgian Malinois dogs

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