Background: Congestive heart failure (CHF) in cats with left-sided heart disease is sometimes manifest as pleural effusion, in other cases as pulmonary edema.Hypothesis: Those cats with pleural effusion have more severe left atrial (LA) dysfunction than cats with pulmonary edema.Animals: 30 healthy cats, 22 cats with pleural effusion, and 12 cats with pulmonary edema. All cats were client owned. Methods: Retrospective study. Measurements of LA size and function were made using commercial software on archived echocardiograms. Cases were identified through searches of medical records and of archived echocardiograms for cats with these conditions.Results: There was no difference (P = .3) in LA size between cats with pleural effusion and cats with pulmonary edema. Cats with pleural effusion had poorer (P = .04) LA active emptying and increased (P = .006) right ventricular (RV) diameter when compared with cats with pulmonary edema and healthy cats. Cats that exhibited LA active emptying of <7.9%, total emptying of <13.6% (diameter) or <19.4% (area), or RV diameter of >3.6 mm were significantly (P < .001) more likely to manifest pleural effusion.Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Poorer LA function and increased RV dimensions are associated with pleural effusion in cats with left-sided heart disease.

A 12 yr old mixed-breed Maine coon was referred with a 1 wk history of intermittent respiratory distress. Physical examination and thoracic radiograph abnormalities were consistent with bronchopneumonia and chronic feline asthma. Repeat thoracic radiographs and lung aspirate cytology supported those diagnoses. Response to treatment was incomplete. One wk later, due to a change in respiratory pattern, cervical radiographs were obtained. A soft-tissue density was apparent in the cat's cervical trachea. Bronchoscopy was performed and a segment of a pine cone was removed from the cat's trachea. Following removal of the foreign body, the cat's respiratory signs resolved. Premature diagnostic closure may prevent a clinician from recognizing an underlying missed diagnosis when response to treatment does not occur as expected.

A 37-year-old female yellow-naped Amazon parrot (Amazona auropalliata) was presented with a history of lethargy, inappetence, and decreased vocalizations. On examination, the coelom was moderately distended and palpated fluctuant, and the heart was muffled on auscultation. Coelomic ultrasound, coelomocentesis, and radiographs were performed and revealed an enlarged cardiac silhouette and marked coelomic effusion. Pericardial effusion was confirmed by echocardiography. A well-circumscribed, hyperechoic soft tissue density was observed at the level of the right atrium on initial echocardiography; however, a cardiac mass was not identified by computed tomography scan or repeat echocardiograms. Ultrasound-guided pericardiocentesis was performed under anesthesia, and cytology results were consistent with hemorrhage; no neoplastic cells were identified. A repeat echocardiogram 4 days after pericardiocentesis revealed recurrence of the pericardial effusion. Due to the grave prognosis, the owners declined endoscopic pericardiectomy, and the patient died the following day. On postmortem examination, the pericardial surface of the heart was covered in a white to yellow, multinodular mass layer. Histologic analysis revealed a multinodular mass extending from the atria, running along the epicardium distally, and often extending into the myocardium. Neoplastic cells present in the heart mass and pericardium did not stain with a Churukian-Schenk stain, and thyroglobulin immunohistochemistry was negative. Cytokeratin and vimentin stains showed positive expression in the neoplastic cells within the mass. These results are consistent with a diagnosis of mesothelioma. This is the first report of mesothelioma in a psittacine bird.