Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Kitten with swollen belly from blocked vein near liver
By Macintire, D K et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·1995·Department of Small Animal, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Budd-Chiari syndrome in a kitten, caused by membranous obstruction of the caudal vena cava.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
An eight-month-old male domestic shorthair kitten had a swollen belly that got worse over six weeks. After tests, the vet found that a vein in the kitten's abdomen was partially blocked due to a fibrous membrane. They couldn't remove the blockage completely, so they used a special patch to help the vein. Although the kitten had some complications after surgery, he recovered well and is now healthy with no signs of swelling 16 months later. This case is notable as it’s the first successful treatment of this rare condition in a kitten.
People also search for: kitten swollen belly · Budd-Chiari syndrome treatment · abdominal distension in cats · cat surgery recovery · causes of fluid in cat abdomen
Abstract
An eight-month-old, male domestic shorthair kitten developed progressive abdominal distension over a six-week period. Abdominocentesis revealed a fluid with high protein (3.8 g/dl) and moderate cellularity. Infectious, cardiovascular, and neoplastic causes of posthepatic obstruction were ruled out. Partial obstruction and stenosis of the caudal vena cava (CVC) at the level of the diaphragm were detected on a contrast venogram. Exploratory surgery revealed a fibrous, web-like membrane at the site of obstruction. Resection of the stenotic segment of the CVC was not possible because of the junction of the left hepatic veins and CVC just caudal to the lesion. A 3 by 6-mm, oval Dacron patch graft was sutured into the venotomy site. Postoperative complications included fever and leukocytosis, eosinophilic pleural effusion, and transient congestive heart failure associated with volume overload. The cat is normal 16 months after surgery, with no recurrence of ascites. This is the first reported case of Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) in a domestic kitten. Documented herein is the first successful treatment of BCS in a small animal using a vascular, prosthetic patch graft.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8581543/