The Diagnostic Value of Soluble Suppression of Tumorigenicity 2 (sST2) in Feline Arterial Thromboembolism: A Comparative Study with Echocardiographic Findings and Cardiac Biomarkers

Feline arterial thromboembolism (FATE) is a serious complication of cardiomyopathies.Although various cardiac biomarkers are used clinically, the diagnostic value of soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (sST2) in FATE has not yet been established.The aim of this study was to evaluate serum sST2 concentrations in cats diagnosed with FATE and to compare the clinical application of this biomarker with NT-proBNP and cTnI using radiographic and echocardiographic parameters.The study included 20 cats: 10 healthy controls, aged 1-2 years, and 10 cats diagnosed with FATE and aged 4-19 years.All animals underwent clinical, radiographic and echocardiographic examinations; blood hematological and serum biochemical parameters, sST2, cTnI and NT-proBNP levels were also analyzed.Results showed that vertebral heart score (VHS) values were higher in FATE-affected cats (9.75±0.14)than both the normal reference (7.5±0.32) and the healthy control group values (7.63±0.13;P<0.05).Echocardiography revealed that the left atrial size and LA/Ao ratio were increased in the FATE group compared to the healthy group (P<0.05).Additionally, NT-proBNP and cTnI levels were higher in the FATE group than controls (P<0.05).However, no difference was found in serum sST2 levels between the two groups.Blood analyses revealed that WBCs, neutrophils, basophils counts and mean platelets volume, ALT, AST, CK-MB and LDH levels were higher in the FATE group, while RBCs, hemoglobin and hematocrit values were higher in control cats.In conclusion, serum NT-proBNP and cTnI levels are important for diagnosis of FATE, while sST2 alone did not demonstrate significant diagnostic utility in this cohort; however, larger prospective studies are needed to determine the ability of sST2 to reflect cardiac remodeling and its diagnostic significance in feline cardiomyopathy.