Percutaneous balloon valvuloplasty in a small cat with pulmonary valve stenosis and concomitant tricuspid valve dysplasia

INTRODUCTION: A 14-month-old, male castrated, 3,9-kg Singapura cat was referred for treatment of severe pulmonary valve stenosis associated with tricuspid valve dysplasia. The cat was pretreated with atenolol and scheduled for pulmonary balloon valvuloplasty. Because the right femoral vein could not accommodate a 5 Fr introducer, vascular access was obtained via the left external jugular vein, followed by right ventricular catheterisation, pressure measurement and angiography. A 10 mm low pressure balloon catheter was advanced over a guidewire to the level of the pulmonary valve and inflated once, resulting in complete loss of the balloon waist. During the procedure, the cat was severely hypotensive for 30 minutes, lasting from the time of ca-theterisation of the right ventricular outflow tract until nearly the end of anaesthesia. Postoperative tachypnoea was attributed to congestive heart failure, although aspiration pneumonia could not be excluded. The patient was discharged the day after the intervention following a single dose of furosemide and received amoxicillin-clavulanate for ten days. Echocardiography after eleven days, three months and 16 months demonstrated a marked and sustained reduction of the transvalvular pressure gradient. The cat showed an improved activity level after the procedure, which persisted over the 16-month follow-up period.