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Background: There is currently a lack of reference intervals (RIs) for the novel measures like 3‐dimensional (3D) echocardiography or speckle‐tracking strain for assessment of right ventricular (RV) structure and function. Objectives: To generate RIs and to determine the influence of age, heart rate, and body weight (BW) on various RV function indices using a dedicated RV software for 3D RV end‐diastolic volume (EDV), end‐systolic volume (ESV), ejection fraction (EF), global and free wall RV longitudinal strain (RVLS), end‐diastolic area (RVEDA), end‐systolic area (RVESA), fractional area change (FAC), tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), and tissue Doppler imaging (TVI)‐derived systolic myocardial velocity of the lateral tricuspid annulus (S′). Animals Healthy adult client‐owned dogs (n = 211) of various breeds and ages. Methods: Prospective study. Reference intervals were estimated as statistical prediction intervals using allometric scaling for BW‐dependent variables. Right‐sided (upper limit) or left‐sided (lower limit) 95% RIs were calculated for every variable. Inter‐ and intraobserver variability was determined. Results: Most variables showed clinically acceptable repeatability with coefficient of variation less than 10. Upper or respectively lower RI after allometric scaling to normalize for different BWs were: EDVn ≤ 2.5 mL/kg0.942, ESVn ≤ 1.2 mL/kg0.962, TAPSEn ≥ 4.5 mm0.285, RVEDAn ≤ 1.4 cm2/kg0.665, RVESAn ≤ 0.8 cm2/kg0.695, and TVI S′n ≥ 5.6 cm/s/kg0.186. The calculated limits for indices without allometric normalization were: EF > 42.1%, FAC > 30.0%, free wall RVLS < −20.8%, and global RVLS < −18.3%. Conclusions: Echocardiographic RIs for RV structure and function are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In veterinary medicine, the radiographic assessment of right heart enlargement (RHE) is essentially subjective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the vertebral right heart index (VRHi) as a new quantitative radiographic method to detect RHE in dogs. This was a multicenter, retrospective, observational study, including dogs with RHE and control dogs. All dogs had to have a thoracic radiographic study and a complete echocardiography on the same day. Right heart enlargement was defined as the presence of right atrial enlargement, right ventricular enlargement, and/or hypertrophy based on echocardiography. For the radiographic study, all the radiographic views available for each case were considered for measurement: right lateral (RL), left lateral (LL), ventrodorsal (VD), and dorsoventral (DV). The VRHi was measured using LL, RL, VD, and DV views. A total of 204 dogs were included: 91 dogs with RHE and 113 control dogs. The VRHi (RL), the VRHi (LL), and the VRHi (VD) were significantly greater in dogs with RHE compared with controls (P < .0001). The best diagnostic accuracy was observed for VRHi (LL) (area under the curve [AUC] 0.86, P < .0001; cutoff ≥ 3.5 vertebrae, sensitivity [Se] 71%, specificity [Sp] 89%), followed by VRHi (RL) (AUC 0.85, P < .0001; cutoff ≥ 3.5 vertebrae, Se 68%, Sp 86%) and VRHi (VD) (AUC 0.80, P = .0004; cutoff ≥ 3.0 vertebrae, Se 57%, Sp 95%). In conclusion, the lateral VRHi in LL and RL and the VD VRHi could represent useful radiological tools for the detection of RHE in dogs., (© 2024 American College of Veterinary Radiology.)