Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Outcomes after lung removal surgery for chronic chest infection
By Crawford, Abbe H et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2011·Royal Veterinary College, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Clinical outcome following pneumonectomy for management of chronic pyothorax in four cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Four cats suffering from chronic pyothorax, a serious lung infection, were brought in after medical treatments like antibiotics and chest drains failed to help. The veterinarians decided to perform surgery to remove the affected lung tissue. Three cats had their left lung removed, while one had the right lung removed. All four cats recovered well and were discharged, showing a good quality of life during follow-up visits. Pneumonectomy, the surgical removal of a lung, was found to be a safe and effective treatment for these cats.
People also search for: cat chronic lung infection treatment · pyothorax in cats · cat lung surgery recovery · pneumonectomy for cats
Abstract
Pneumonectomy is the resection of all lung lobes from one side of the thorax. The clinical findings, treatment and outcome of four cases of feline chronic pyothorax managed with exploratory thoracotomy and pneumonectomy are reported. All cases were initially medically managed with thoracic drain placement and antibiosis. However, resolution was not achieved with medical therapy and diagnostic imaging findings consistent with an area of abscessation or marked lung lobe consolidation were identified, supporting a decision for surgical management. Surgical exploration was performed via median sternotomy and, on the basis of gross inspection, non-functional lung was removed. A left-sided pneumonectomy was performed in three cats and a right-sided pneumonectomy in one. All cases survived to discharge and an excellent quality of life was reported on long-term follow-up. Pneumonectomy appears to be well tolerated in the cat.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21889386/