Transcatheter closure of an atrial septal defect in a dog

A 6-month-old spayed female Standard Poodle was evaluated because of right ventricular enlargement that had been detected via ECG prior to ovariohysterectomy. Diagnostic assessments revealed an ostium secundum atrial septal defect (ASD). Atrial septal defects are interatrial communications caused by failures in the embryologic process of atrial septation. Although rare and often clinically inapparent in dogs, ASDs can cause notable hemodynamic abnormalities that result in congestive heart failure and paradoxical embolism if they are not repaired. Surgical repair of ASDs in dogs has been reported, but the procedure requires cardiopulmonary bypass, which is only available at a small number of institutions. Transcatheter closure of ASDs is most commonly applied in humans but has yet to be widely used in veterinary medicine. Transcatheter closure of the ASD was successfully undertaken in the dog of this report, indicating that this method of closure of ASDs in dogs is feasible and minimally invasive. Transcatheter closure of an ASD should be considered as an option in a dog that would likely benefit from closure of the defect.