The immunohistochemical evaluation of selected markers in the left atrium of dogs with end-stage dilated cardiomyopathy and myxomatous mitral valve disease - a preliminary study.

During heart failure, the pattern of desmin, vimentin, periostin and caspase-3 expression alters in the left atrium, regardless of the cause. The changes are more pronounced in dogs with DCM than in dogs with MMVD and similar left atrial enlargement, suggesting that volume overload may not be the only cause of myocardial changes in DCM.