Echocardiographic Assessments in Equine Cardiology
Summary
Echocardiography has become the cornerstone of non-invasive cardiac evaluation in horses, enabling real-time visualisation of chamber dimensions, wall motion and valvular function. With advances in two-dimensional and M-mode imaging, practitioners can accurately measure ventricular and atrial sizes, wall thicknesses and dynamic indices such as fractional shortening and ejection fraction. Doppler modalities further extend this capability by quantifying blood flow velocities across valves and outflow tracts, thereby assessing regurgitations and stenotic lesions. Breed-specific reference intervals now allow differentiation between physiological adaptations—such as the athletic “equine heart”—and pathological changes. Recent technological refinements, including high-frequency transducers and tissue Doppler imaging, have improved spatial resolution and reproducibility, even in standing unsedated animals. Collectively, these tools underpin early detection of congenital and acquired disorders, guide training regimens for performance horses and inform prognostic decisions in clinical practice. As the global equine industry seeks to optimise welfare and performance, echocardiography continues to bridge clinical cardiology with field-based screening, offering a versatile platform for longitudinal monitoring and interdisciplinary research.
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Echocardiographic Assessments in Equine Cardiology publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in echocardiographic assessments in equine cardiology across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Two-dimensional echocardiography: Imaging technique that displays real-time cross-sectional views of cardiac structures.
M-mode echocardiography: One-dimensional time-motion display used for precise measurements of cardiac chamber dimensions and wall thickness.
Doppler echocardiography: Method for assessing blood flow velocity and direction through cardiac valves and vessels.
Fractional shortening: Percentage reduction in left ventricular internal diameter from diastole to systole, reflecting contractile function.
Ejection fraction: Proportion of end-diastolic blood volume ejected during systole, indicating overall systolic performance.
Left ventricular internal diameter (LVID): Measurement of the internal width of the left ventricle, typically recorded in diastole and systole.
References
- Reference values for 2‐dimensional and M‐mode echocardiography in Friesian and Warmblood horses. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine (2020).
- Cardiac morphology changes in horses as a response to various types of sports. Journal of Applied Animal Research (2022).
- Effects of conditioning on the left ventricular function of young purebred Arabian horses. PLOS ONE (2024).
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