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ABSTRACT OF THE WEEK

Journal of veterinary internal medicine/ American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine
Volume 35 | Issue 3 (May-Jun 2021)

The Mitral INsufficiency Echocardiographic score: A severity classification of myxomatous mitral valve disease in dogs.

J Vet Intern Med. May-Jun 2021;35(3):1238-1244.
Tommaso Vezzosi1, Giovanni Grosso2, Rosalba Tognetti3, Valentina Meucci4, Valentina Patata5, Federica Marchesotti6, Oriol Domenech7
1 Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.; 2 Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.; 3 Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.; 4 Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.; 5 Department of Cardiology, Anicura Istituto Veterinario Novara, Granozzo con Monticello, Italy.; 6 Department of Cardiology, Anicura Istituto Veterinario Novara, Granozzo con Monticello, Italy.; 7 Department of Cardiology, Anicura Istituto Veterinario Novara, Granozzo con Monticello, Italy.
© 2021 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:There is no commonly shared severity score for myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) based on routinely acquired echocardiographic variables.
HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES:To propose an easy-to-use echocardiographic classification of severity of MMVD in dogs.
ANIMALS:Five hundred and sixty dogs with MMVD.
METHODS:This was a retrospective, multicenter, observational study. The proposed Mitral INsufficiency Echocardiographic (MINE) score was based on 4 echocardiographic variables: left atrium-to-aorta ratio, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter normalized for body weight, fractional shortening, and E-wave transmitral peak velocity. Specific echocardiographic cutoffs were defined based on previous prognostic studies on MMVD, and severity scores were assigned as follows: mild (score: 4-5), moderate (score: 6-7), severe (score: 8-12), late stage (score: 13-14).
RESULTS:Median survival time was significantly different (P < .05) between the proposed severity classes: mild (2344 days, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1877-2810 days), moderate (1882 days, 95% CI 1341-2434 days), severe (623 days, 95% CI 432-710 days), and late stage (157 days, 95% CI 53-257 days). A MINE score >8 was predictive of cardiac death (area under the curve = 0.85; P < .0001; sensitivity 87%, specificity 73%). In the multivariable analysis, all the echocardiographic variables of the MINE score were independent predictors of death because of heart disease (P < .001).
CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE:The MINE score is a new easy-to-use echocardiographic classification of severity of MMVD, which has been proven to be clinically effective as it is associated with survival. This classification provides prognostic information and could be useful for an objective echocardiographic assessment of MMVD.

Keywords
cardiac death; heart failure; mitral regurgitation; prognosis; survival;

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