Heartworm disease, severe lesions, ventrodorsal radiograph, dog

Ventrodorsal thoracic radiographic projection of a 10-year-old pit bull-type dog with severe lesions from heartworm disease. The right caudal lobar pulmonary artery is severely dilated and truncated (*). The main pulmonary artery is severely dilated. The reversed "D" shape of the heart is due to right heart enlargement. The bronchointerstitial pattern is most likely due to pneumonitis. Decreased detail in the cranial abdomen is supportive of ascites. A small volume of pleural effusion is also present, as evidenced by subtle rounding of the left caudal lung lobe margin. CVC, caudal vena cava; MPA, main pulmonary artery; RV, right ventricle.