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Restrictive Cardiomyopathy - Feline Cardiomyopathies (view source)
Revision as of 15:49, 2 December 2012
, 15:49, 2 December 2012→Clinical Signs
==Clinical Signs==
==Clinical Signs==
The clinical presentation of cats with RCM, as with other cardiomyopathies, is extremely variable. There may be a long preclinical phase during which the cat remains asymptomatic. Early signs of cardiac dysfunction, such as exercise intolerance, often goes undetected in cats due to their sedentery nature. A period of stress, resulting in catecholamine release and tachycardia, may precipitate the onset of clinical signs. Similarly, administration of intravenous fluid therapy may precipitate the onset of congestive heart failure in a cat with previously undiagnosed cardiac disease.
===Left-sided Congestive Heart Failure===
*Dyspnoea: Results from pulmonary oedema or pleural effusion
*Arrhythmia, gallop rhythm
*Muffled heart and lung sounds: Pleural effusion
*Jugular pulse, hepatojugular reflux
===Right-sided Congestive Heart Failure Signs===
===Arterial Thromboembolism===
Another acute presentation may be due to systemic thromboembolism. The enlarged left atrium, stasis of blood within the left atrium, and reduced atrial function predispose to thrombus formation, and emboli may result. Typically these cases present with paresis or paralysis of one or both rear limbs due to occlusion at the aorta-iliac trifurcation. In some cases, emboli can involve other areas and can cause complex neurological manifestations, forelimb paralysis or acute renal ischemia.
==Diagnosis==
==Diagnosis==
===Radiography===
===Radiography===