Echocardiographic Features of the Ductus Arteriosus and the Foramen Ovale in a Hospital-Based Population of Neonatal Foals.
Authors: De Lange Lisa, Vernemmen Ingrid, van Loon Gunther, Decloedt Annelies
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Cardiac Structure Maturation in Neonatal Foals Two fetal circulatory structures—the ductus arteriosus and foramen ovale—persist after birth in neonatal foals but have never been systematically characterised via ultrasound until now; this Belgian study examined 50 Warmblood foals (15 healthy, 35 with clinical disease) across days 2, 5 and 10 post-partum to document their echocardiographic features during the critical transition to independent circulation. Researchers performed serial cardiac ultrasound and recorded clinical signs, specifically tracking murmur characteristics and visualising ductal flow with colour Doppler and continuous wave techniques. Patent ductus arteriosus was remarkably common—detectable via Doppler in 93% of foals on day 2, declining to 29% by day 5 and 22% by day 10—with ductal diameter reducing from 2 mm to 1 mm over the ten-day period, whilst murmur intensity correlated with an open ductus; the foramen ovale showed characteristic fluttering of the septum primum into the left atrium at all timepoints, though the septal gap narrowed progressively. Although these findings appear physiological rather than pathological, the study highlights how frequently cardiac murmurs coincide with patent fetal pathways in neonatal foals, suggesting practitioners should interpret auscultatory findings cautiously in the first fortnight and that further investigation is warranted to distinguish between benign structural persistence and clinically significant cardiac compromise.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Cardiac murmurs and patent ductus arteriosus detected in the first days of life are common neonatal findings in foals and are likely physiological rather than pathological
- •Echocardiographic assessment is useful for documenting closure progression of fetal circulation structures; repeat scanning around day 10 may help distinguish normal closure from pathological persistence
- •The clinical significance of these common cardiac findings remains unclear, so practitioners should focus on overall foal health status rather than becoming overly concerned about murmurs detected early in life
Key Findings
- •Systolic cardiac murmurs were present in 98% of foals on day 2, declining to 44% by day 10, with higher grades correlating to open ductus arteriosus
- •Patent ductus arteriosus was visualized via color flow Doppler in 40/43 foals on day 2, declining to 2/9 foals by day 10, with median diameter of 2±1 mm
- •Foramen ovale with fluttering septum primum was present at all ages studied, with maximal septal distance decreasing over the 10-day period
- •Patent ductus arteriosus and cardiac murmurs appear to be frequent physiological findings in neonatal foals with unclear clinical significance