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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Anatomy of the patent ductus venosus in the cat.

Journal:
Journal of feline medicine and surgery
Year:
2001
Authors:
White, R N & Burton, C A
Affiliation:
Davies White Veterinary Specialists · United Kingdom

Plain-English summary

Researchers studied the blood vessels of 10 cats that had a specific type of liver blood flow issue called a patent ductus venosus (PDV), which is a condition where blood bypasses the liver. They looked at images of the cats' veins and also examined one cat that died after surgery to correct this problem. They found that the anatomy of these shunts was similar in all the cats, with a straight vessel leading to a small pouch before connecting to a major vein near the diaphragm. The study suggests that the way this condition appears in cats is similar to how it appears in dogs, supporting the idea that it can be classified as a PDV in both species.

Abstract

The biplanar mesenteric vein portovenograms of 10 cats with left divisional intrahepatic portosystemic shunts consistent with a patent ductus venosus (PDV) were reviewed. A corrosion cast of the hepatic portal vasculature was made post mortem from one individual that died post operatively following surgical attenuation of the shunting vessel. On the basis of the combined surgical, post mortem and imaging data, these left divisional shunts were found to have consistent anatomy, each having a straight vessel which drained into a venous ampulla before draining into the caudal vena cava at the level of the diaphragm. The left phrenic vein and left hepatic vein both entered the ampulla independently of the shunting vessel. The anatomical similarity between these findings in the cat and the PDV in the dog suggest that it is appropriate to describe this particular portosystemic shunt as a PDV.

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Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11795960/