Which group is most at risk of developing the lesion evident in this image?
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This is endocardiosis (a.k.a. myxomatous degeneration) of the mitral valve and older, small breed dogs are predisposed. It is an inherited disease in the cavalier King Charles spaniel and dachshund.
Note the nodular thickening of the valve margins which results in ineffective closure of the valve and resultant regurgitation of blood from the ventricle into the atrium.
Degenerative valve disease accounts for 75% of all canine cardiac disease. Approx. 60% of cases involve only the mitral valve, 30% have mitral and tricuspid lesions, and <10% only have tricuspid involvement.
Think of myxomatous mitral valve disease in older, small-breed dogs with a heart murmur. It is an inherited disease in cavalier King Charles spaniels and dachshunds.
Don’t confuse endocardiosis with infective endocarditis which is due to bacterial infection of the cardiac valves (typically the atrioventricular or aortic valve) and endocardial muscle.
