Equine Cardioteam, Department of Large Animal Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
J Vet Intern Med. 2021 May;35(3):1573-1581. doi: 10.1111/jvim.16106. Epub 2021 Mar 20.
Ventricular septal defects (VSDs) are the most common congenital cardiac defect in horses.
To identify prevalence, age, breed, and sex distribution of VSD and to describe associated clinical and ultrasonographic findings.
Hospital-based population of 21 136 horses presented to the equine internal medicine department.
Medical records over a 12-year period were reviewed for VSD confirmed by ultrasonography. Age, breed, sex, sport discipline, murmur, clinical signs, outcome, VSD type, VSD size, shunt velocity, cardiac dimensions, concomitant cardiac anomalies, and valvular regurgitations were recorded.
From 1894 horses that underwent echocardiography, 54 had a VSD: 42 as an isolated lesion and 12 as part of complex congenital heart disease (CHD). Median age was 5 years (range, 0-26) and 1 year (range, 0-8), respectively. Warmbloods and males were overrepresented. In the isolated VSD group, only 15% had associated clinical signs and most horses had a perimembranous VSD (pmVSD; 36/42). Horses with a pmVSD and clinical signs showed a significantly lower maximal shunt velocity (3.77 vs 5.20 m/s; P < .001), higher VSD/Aortic root (Ao) diameter (0.52 vs 0.38; P = .05), higher left atrium/Ao diameter (1.94 vs 1.22; P < .001), and higher pulmonary artery/Ao diameter (1.15 vs 0.88; P = .005) compared to horses without clinical signs. All horses with complex CHD had clinical signs and abnormal cardiac dimensions.
Most isolated VSD were diagnosed only at a later age and were not associated with clinical signs. Horses with complex CHD were more likely to have or develop clinical signs at younger age.
室间隔缺损（VSD）是马最常见的先天性心脏缺陷。
确定 VSD 的流行率、年龄、品种和性别分布，并描述相关的临床和超声表现。
在马内科就诊的 21136 匹马的基于医院的群体。
对 12 年来通过超声心动图确诊的 VSD 进行了回顾性病历分析。记录了年龄、品种、性别、运动项目、杂音、临床症状、结局、VSD 类型、VSD 大小、分流速度、心脏尺寸、伴发的心脏异常和瓣膜反流。
在接受超声心动图检查的 1894 匹马中，有 54 匹马患有 VSD：42 例为单纯性病变，12 例为复杂先天性心脏病（CHD）的一部分。中位年龄分别为 5 岁（范围 0-26 岁）和 1 岁（范围 0-8 岁）。温血马和雄性马的比例过高。在单纯性 VSD 组中，只有 15%的马有相关的临床症状，大多数马有膜周部 VSD（pmVSD；42 例中有 36 例）。有 pmVSD 和临床症状的马，最大分流速度显著较低（3.77 比 5.20 m/s；P < 0.001），VSD/主动脉根部（Ao）直径较大（0.52 比 0.38；P = 0.05），左心房/Ao 直径较大（1.94 比 1.22；P < 0.001），肺动脉/Ao 直径较大（1.15 比 0.88；P = 0.005）。所有患有复杂 CHD 的马都有临床症状和异常的心脏尺寸。
大多数单纯性 VSD 仅在较晚的年龄被诊断，且与临床症状无关。患有复杂 CHD 的马更有可能在更年轻的时候出现或发展为临床症状。
