Nj. Laste et Nk. Harpster, A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY OF 100 CASES OF FELINE DISTAL AORTIC THROMBOEMBOLISM - 1977-1993, The Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association, 31(6), 1995, pp. 492-500
The medical records of 100 cats with distal aortic thromboembolism wer
e reviewed. The average age was 7.7 years, with the neutered male bein
g the most common signalment (63%). Evidence of preexisting cardiac di
sease was noted in 11% of the cases, A murmur or arrhythmia was noted
in 57% of the cases on presentation, Frequent laboratory abnormalities
included elevations in blood glucose, alanine aminotransferase, aspar
tate aminotransferase, blood urea nitrogen, and creatinine. Radiograph
ic and electrocardiographic abnormalities were common (89% and 85%, re
spectively). The most frequent, underlying disease was hypertrophic fe
line cardiomyopathy (58%), with the left atrial size (as measured by M
-mode) significantly increased in the majority of cases (mean left atr
ial-to-aortic ratio, 2.08). The average, long-term survival in the 37%
of cases which survived the initial thromboembolic episode was 11.5 m
onths. The remaining cases either died (28%) or were euthanized (35%).