Echocardiographic Findings in Dairy Cows with Cardiac Lymphoma: 7 Cases

Bovine lymphoma is a common neoplasm in cattle in area where bovine leukosis virus infection is common. Although the typical form of enzootic lymphoma can be easily diagnosed in clinical setting, lymphomatous tissue can cause non specific signs such as abomasal ulcer, ataxia or clinical signs of heart diseases. The aim of this study was to describe echocardiographic findings in 7 cows with a diagnosis of cardiac lymphoma. During the study period (2007-2010), all cows with a presumptive diagnosis of heart disease in the bovine ambulatory clinic had a complete transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). The data that were recorded were the presence of pericardial fluid, mass lesions, any other anomaly, signs of cardiac tamponade, shortening fraction of the left ventricle, as well as cardiac chamber dimensions.