Anatomical anomalies and variations of main thoracic vessels in dogs: a computed tomography study

P. Sebastian-Marcos*, S. Fonfara, K. Borgeat, Chris M R Warren-Smith, Domingo Casamian Sorrosal

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

8 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Introduction: There is scarce information about the prevalence of anomalies and anatomical variations of the main great thoracic vessels in dogs, particularly in dogs without congenital heart disease. Animals: The study included 878 privately owned dogs. Material and methods: Computerized tomography (CT) thoracic studies carried out between 2011 and 2014 for a variety of reasons were reviewed. The prevalence of anomalies and anatomical variations of the aorta and vena cava, the arterial branches of the aortic arch and the main branches of the intrathoracic veins in dogs with no evidence of congenital heart disease was evaluated. Poor-quality CTs, CTs with thoracic pathology that impaired visualization or those of young dogs with clinical evidence or suspicion of congenital cardiac disease were excluded. Results: Eight hundred two CT studies were analysed. Eight dogs (1%) showed an anatomic anomaly. The most common anomaly was an aberrant retroesophageal right subclavian artery (n = 7, 0.8%). One dog showed a dilated azygos vein secondary to an interrupted vena cava. Three types of branching of the common carotid arteries were observed: both arteries arising at the same point (type I: n = 506/742; 68.2%), separated (type II: n = 212/742; 28.6%) or from a common trunk (type III: n = 24/742; 3.2%). Conclusions: Major anatomical variations or anomalies of the main great thoracic vessels in dogs without congenital cardiac disease were rare. An aberrant retroesophageal right subclavian artery was the most common anomaly found. Three slight variations of common carotid artery branching were identified. These findings might be of relevance for surgical or catheterization procedures.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)57-66
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of Veterinary Cardiology
Volume21
Early online date13 Dec 2018
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2019

Keywords

  • Aberrant right subclavian artery
  • Anomalies
  • Asymptomatic
  • Congenital
  • Persistent left cranial vena cava

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