The prevalence of cardiac murmurs among standardbred racehorses presented with poor performance

Seven hundreds fifty-two Standardbreds, with poor performance, underwent a thorough diagnostic protocol. In 157 out of 233 horses, with cardiac murmurs, echocardiography and color flow Doppler (CFD) mapping were performed. Murmur of tricuspid valve regurgitation was identified in 185 horses, while murmurs of mitral (23), aortic (9) and pulmonary (3) valve regurgitations were detected less frequently. Functional systolic, functional pre-systolic, and functional early diastolic murmurs were identified in 10, 11 and 2 horses. Two-dimensional and M-mode echocardiography showed no abnormality in 145 horses and by CFD the presence of one or more jets of valve regurgitation were observed in 149 patients. The results obtained suggest that cardiac murmurs are a common finding in Standardbreds presented with poor performance.