Abbreviations used in Echocardiology Guides

Abbreviations

This is a list of abbreviations used in the guide, sources from Elsevier https://www.elsevier.com/__data/promis_misc/JVCabbreviations.pdf and other sources in common use in veterinary echocardiology.

  • A    peak velocity of late diastolic transmitral flow (m/s)
  • ACVIM American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine
  • A-lines horizontal echogenic lines representing reverberation artefact seen when scanning lungs
  • ANS autonomic nervous system
  • Ao    aorta
  • AoD aortic root diameter
  • Ao-Lax aortic root measured in long axis from the RPLx5ch
  • AT acceleration time
  • ATE aortic thromboembolism
  • AV    aortic valve
  • B-lines comet-tail artifacts seen on lung ultrasound
  • BSA  body surface area
  • BW    body weight
  • CFD    colour flow Doppler
  • CHF    congestive heart failure
  • CI confidence intervals, usually means 95%
  • CKCS Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
  • CVC caudal vena cava
  • CW continuous wave Doppler
  • DCM    dilated cardiomyopathy
  • DDx differential diagnoses
  • DLVOTO dynamic left ventricular outflow tract obstruction
  • E    peak velocity of early diastolic transmitral flow (m/s)
  • E:A ratio of E wave to A wave
  • E:E’ ratio of E wave to tissue Doppler E wave
  • E:IVRT ratio of E wave to IVRT measurement
  • EF    ejection fraction (%)
  • EPSS    E-point-to-septal-separation (mm)
  • FAC    fractional area change
  • FS    fractional shortening (%)
  • HCM    hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
  • HR    heart rate
  • IVRT    Isovolumic relation time (ms)
  • IVS    interventricular septum
  • IVSd    interventricular septum thickness at end-diastole (mm)
  • IVSs interventricular septum thickness at end-systole (mm)
  • LA    left atrium
  • LA:Ao left atrium to aortic root ratio
  • LAA    left auricular appendage
  • LAD/LADmax maximal LA dimension from right parasternal long axis view (RPLx4ch)
  • LAD:Ao maximal LA dimension from right parasternal long axis view ratio to aortic root
  • LADn left atrial dimension normalised for body weight
  • LAP    left atrial pressure
  • LAV/LAVn left atrial volume/left atrial volume indexed to body weight
  • LV    left ventricle
  • LVEDV/LVESV LV end-diastolic volume/LV end-systolic volume (ml), often indexed to body weight as LVEDVn and LVESDVn (ml/kg)
  • LVIDd/s    left ventricular internal diameter in diastole/systole
  • LVIDdN left ventricular internal diameter in diastole normalised for body weight
  • LVIDsN    left ventricular internal diameter in systole normalised for body weight
  • LVET left ventricular ejection time
  • LVFP    left ventricle filling pressure
  • LVOT    left ventricular outflow tract
  • LVFW    left ventricular free (posterior) wall
  • LVVd/s    left ventricular volume at end-diastole/systole
  • M mode motion mode, tissue motion collected from a single line graphed against time
  • MAPSE    mitral valve annular plane systolic excursion
  • MV/MR/MD mitral valve/mitral valve regurgitation/mitral dysplasia
  • MVD    myxomatous valve disease, also known as myxomatous mitral valve disease, degenerative valve disease
  • MPA    main pulmonary artery
  • MV/MR    mitral valve/ mitral regurgitation
  • PA pulmonary artery
  • PDA patent ductus arteriosus
  • PEP pre-ejection period
  • PG pressure gradient
  • PH    pulmonary hypertension
  • PI/PV    pulmonic insufficiency/pulmonary valve
  • PW pulsed wave Doppler
  • RA/RV    right atrium/right ventricle
  • RAA/RAAn right atrial area/right atrial area normalised for body weight
  • RAD right atrial diameter
  • RPAD right pulmonary artery distensibility
  • RR/RRR/SRR respiratory rate/resting respirator rate/sleeping respiratory rate
  • RVDd/s    right ventricular end diastolic diameter at end-diastole/systole
  • RVFW right ventricle free wall
  • RVOT    right ventricular outflow tract
  • S’ systolic motion in tissue Doppler imaging
  • SAM    systolic anterior motion (applied to mitral valve)
  • SMOD Simpson’s method of discs
  • TAPSE    tricuspid valve annular plane systolic excursion
  • TDI    tissue Doppler imaging
  • TMT transient myocardial thickening
  • TV/TR/TD    tricuspid valve/tricuspid regurgitation/tricuspid dysplasia
  • VHS    vertebral heart score (radiographic)
  • VLAS    vertebral left atrial size (radiographic)
  • VSD ventricular septal defect
  • VTI velocity time interval, a measure of mean velocity through the flow calculated by ultrasound machine from tracing the Doppler envelope

Main echo views

  • RPLx4ch = right parasternal long axis 4 chamber view
  • RPLx5ch = right parasternal long axis 5 chamber view, also known as left ventricle outflow tract view
  • RPSx = right parasternal short axis views, at level of papillary muscles (‘mushroom’), mitral valve (‘fish mouth’), aortic root (‘whale and Mercedes Benz’) and heart base with pulmonic outflow
  • LPLx4ch = left parasternal long axis 4 chamber view, also known as left apical view
  • LPLx5ch = left parasternal long axis with LVOT
  • LPCr = left parasternal cranial views
  • SC = subcostal view, used to align with LVOT and aorta

ECG