Heartworm disease, presumed aborted larval infection, radiographs, cat

Ventrodorsal (A) and right lateral (B) radiographs from a 3-year-old domestic shorthair cat that developed cough. Diffuse bronchial pattern and enlargement of the right caudal lobar pulmonary artery (*) are apparent. The cardiac silhouette is mildly enlarged; however, wall thicknesses and chamber dimensions were normal on echocardiography. Bronchoalveolar lavage was performed, and cytological analysis showed a mixed, predominantly eosinophilic inflammation with epithelial reactivity. The soft tissue opacity adjacent to the diaphragm at the level of the caudal esophagus was a sliding hiatal hernia, which was intermittently visualized on other lateral projections (not shown). CVC, caudal vena cava.