2016 Volume 25 Issue 4 Pages 148-152
Two cats presented with the chief complaints of abdominal distention, anorexia, and respiratory distress. Echocardiography showed left ventricular dilatation and a marked reduction in left ventricular fraction shortening (FS), leading to a diagnosis of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Although both cats responded to medical treatment, they died following deterioration in their general condition. The autopsy findings shortly after death showed diffuse suppurative granulomatous inflammation of several organs. In addition, diffuse inflammatory cell infiltration, myocarditis, and myocardial fibrosis were found in the heart. Based on these findings, feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) was retrospectively diagnosed in both cats. The echocardiographic findings of DCM suggested FIP virus-induced myocarditis. A variety of diseases, including viral infections, are considered the cause of pathologies similar to DCM. We must, therefore, differentiate among diseases that are likely to result in pathologies similar to DCM, based not only on ultrasonography findings, but also on a range of examination results.
