Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with airway blockage from neck blood clot linked to Anaplasma
By Vieitez, Verónica et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2015·Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Spain·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Acute upper airway obstruction due to retropharyngeal hematoma in a dog with Anaplasma species: a case study.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
An 18-month-old female water spaniel was brought to the vet because she was having trouble breathing. After some tests, including imaging, the vet found that she had a large retropharyngeal hematoma (a collection of blood in the throat area) that was blocking her airway. To help her breathe, the vet performed a tracheostomy, which is a procedure to create an opening in the windpipe. Thankfully, the dog was treated successfully and managed to recover after the hematoma was treated conservatively.
People also search for: dog breathing problems · retropharyngeal hematoma in dogs · water spaniel airway obstruction treatment
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Retropharyngeal hematoma is a rare condition that is difficult to diagnose and may progress rapidly to airway obstruction. The authors report the first known case of acute upper airway obstruction resulting from retropharyngeal hematoma in a dog. Documented causes in human medicine have included coagulopathic states, trauma, infection, parathyroid adenoma rupture, and foreign body ingestion. Vague symptoms in humans such as sore throat, shortness of breath, dysphonia, dysphagia, and neck swelling may precede lethal airway obstruction. CASE PRESENTATION: The authors report a case of an 18-month-old, intact female water spaniel with thrombocytopenia that developed a massive retropharyngeal hematoma and symptoms of airway compromise. The dog required tracheal intubation followed by surgical tracheostomy. Lateral cervical radiography and magnetic resonance imaging of the neck was consistent with a retropharyngeal hematoma compromising the airway. The retropharyngeal hematoma was managed conservatively. CONCLUSION: Retropharyngeal hematoma should be considered in patients presenting with abrupt respiratory distress. Magnetic resonance imaging allowed specific diagnosis of a rare condition that is otherwise difficult to diagnose.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26452479/