Left ventricular structural and functional abnormalities in dogs with hyperadrenocorticism.

OBJECTIVES

Hyperadrenocorticism has been reported to cause left ventricular (LV) structural and functional abnormalities in human patients. The purpose of the present study was to assess the incidence and features of LV structural and functional changes in dogs with hyperadrenocorticism.

ANIMALS

Twenty-two client-owned dogs with pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism (n = 15) and cortisol-secreting adrenocortical tumors (n = 7) and 6 control dogs were enrolled in this study.

METHODS

Echocardiographic examinations were performed and non-invasive measurements of systolic blood pressure (SBP) were obtained.

RESULTS

The normalized LV wall thickness and LV mass index of the affected dogs differed significantly from those of control dogs. Using a published reference value for M-mode measurements, 15 of the 22 dogs (68%) were found to have increased LV wall thickness. Eleven of the 15 (73%) dogs with increased LV wall thickness were normotensive, and no significant correlation between LV wall thickness and SBP was found.

CONCLUSIONS

Regardless of the presence of systemic hypertension, hyperadrenocorticism should be included in the differential diagnosis of underlying disorders that may cause LV hypertrophy in dogs.