Studies on Pulsed-wave Doppler Echocardiographic Parameters of Blood Flow through Mitral, Tricuspid and Aortic Valves in Healthy Indian Spitz Dogs

Background: Pulsed-wave Doppler measures blood flow at specific point and provides information on velocity, direction and uniformity of blood flow throughout cardiac cycle. Till date, there is no published data on study of cardiac parameters using pulsed-wave Doppler echocardiography in Indian Spitz dogs. Methods: Twenty-four clinically normal Indian Spitz dogs were subjected to pulsed-wave Doppler echocardiography to determine the reference intervals for Doppler parameters of blood flow through mitral, tricuspid and aortic valves. Mitral peak E and A-wave velocities, E/A ratio, deceleration time, isovolumic relaxation time, E and A-wave velocity time integral, E duration and A duration were 0.69±0.09 m/s, 0.43±0.12 m/s, 1.69±0.45, 111.25±35.94 ms, 48.50±24.77 ms, 0.07±0.01 m and 0.04±0.02 m, 196.88±44.38 ms and 181.25±64.89 ms, respectively. Tricuspid peak E and A-wave velocities, E/A ratio and E and A-wave velocity time integral were 0.57±0.11 m/s, 0.38±0.08 m/s, 1.56±0.32 and 0.07±0.02 m and 0.05±0.01 m, respectively. Aortic peak velocity, velocity time integral and ejection time were 0.87±0.07 m/s, 0.11±0.02 m and 0.25±0.04 s, respectively. Conclusion: The reference values of flow parameters across mitral, tricuspid and aortic valves using pulsed-wave Doppler echocardiography were determined. Mitral, tricuspid and aortic valve flow variables were unaffected by gender whereas isovolumic relaxation correlated positively with body weight.