Simple Summary
Congenital left ventricular diverticulum (CLVD) is an extremely rare congenital heart condition, with only a few cases reported in both human and veterinary medicine. It can be confused with similar conditions like left ventricular aneurysms or pseudoaneurysms, which have varying symptoms and outcomes. In this case, cardiac synchronous computed tomography (CT) successfully identified the morphology of a diverticulum in the left ventricular apex, discovered incidentally during follow-up for a ventricular septal defect, a common congenital heart disease in dogs. Cardiac synchronous CT provides detailed imaging of intracardiac and extracardiac structures throughout the cardiac cycle, making it a valuable tool for diagnosing and managing complex cardiac anomalies. This is the first veterinary report demonstrating the use of cardiac synchronous CT to evaluate CLVD.
Abstract
A 2-month-old Shiba Inu was presented to an emergency veterinary clinic with decreased activity and was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension secondary to a ventricular septal defect. The dog was referred to the TUAT Veterinary Medical Center for further evaluation. During treatment, a diverticulum was incidentally identified at the apex of the left ventricle. While the diverticulum caused no clinical symptoms, a cardiac synchronous computed tomography (CT) scan was performed to accurately assess its anatomical location and size. This case highlights the value of advanced imaging techniques in diagnosing complex congenital cardiac anomalies.