Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Outcomes for 20 cats treated for congenital liver blood vessel shunts
By Janas, Krysta E A et al.·Published in Veterinary surgery : VS·2024·University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Clinical outcomes for 20 cats with congenital extrahepatic portosystemic shunts treated with ameroid constrictor ring attenuation (2002-2020).
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 20 cats with a serious liver condition called extrahepatic portosystemic shunt (EHPSS) underwent surgery using a special device called an ameroid constrictor ring to help improve their health. While some cats experienced complications during or after surgery, like seizures or blindness, most showed significant improvement in their health afterward. In the long term, 15 out of 18 cats had excellent outcomes, meaning they felt much better and had fewer symptoms. This surgery can be effective for many cats with this condition, although some may still have ongoing issues like seizures.
People also search for: cat liver shunt surgery · extrahepatic portosystemic shunt treatment · cat seizures after surgery · ameroid constrictor ring for cats
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To report the clinical perioperative, short-term, and long-term outcomes for cats undergoing ameroid ring constrictor (ARC) attenuation of a congenital extrahepatic portosystemic shunt (EHPSS). STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series from a single veterinary teaching hospital (2002-2020). ANIMALS: Twenty client-owned cats with EHPSS. METHODS: Data collected from medical records included signalment, history, physical examination, clinicopathologic testing, medications, diagnostic imaging, intraoperative findings, perioperative complications, and postoperative clinical outcomes. Long-term clinical outcome was obtained from a standardized owner interview or medical records. RESULTS: Perioperative complications were reported in five cats out of 20, including blindness (two cats), ascites (one cat), head pressing (one cat), and seizures and death (one cat). Short-term clinical outcome was excellent in 14/18 cats, good in 2/18 cats, and poor in 2/18 cats that were available for follow up, and long term clinical outcome was excellent in 15/18, good in 1/18 cats, and poor in 2/18 cats that were available for follow up. CONCLUSION: Long-term clinical outcome was good or excellent in 16/18 of cats available for follow up. Perioperative complications were reported in five cats. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Surgical attenuation of EHPSS with an ARC can result in resolution of clinical signs and biochemical abnormalities in the majority of cats. The perioperative complication rate for feline patients with EHPSS attenuated with an ARC was lower than reported historically. Seizures may persist in the long term despite normal bile acid stimulation test results, complete blood count, and biochemistry analysis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38153121/