The Enlarged Heart: Feline

Cardiomegaly is a common feature of cardiac disease in cats. Both thoracic radiography and echocardiography are necessary to adequately define the type and severity of cardiac disease in this species. Thoracic radiographs are useful to detect cardiomegaly and the presence or absence of congestive heart failure; however, the specific underlying cardiac disease cannot be determined with radiography in cats. Echocardiography is useful for characterization of the underlying cardiac disease (e.g., hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, dilated cardiomyopathy, restrictive cardiomyopathy, unclassified cardiomyopathy); however, it cannot provide information on whether pulmonary venous congestion and edema are present. Thoracic radiography and echocardiography should be considered complementary imaging methods for the feline patient with cardiac disease, as demonstrated in this article. Normal images are provided for comparison. Please click on the PDF above to view full photos & article.