Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat develops constrictive pericarditis after hernia surgery
By Murphy, Lisa A et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2014·Oradell Animal Hospital, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Constrictive pericarditis following surgical repair of a peritoneopericardial diaphragmatic hernia in a cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 4-year-old female spayed domestic longhair cat was brought in for breathing problems (dyspnea) after surgery to fix a diaphragmatic hernia. Despite the surgery, she still had fluid buildup in her chest (pleural effusion). Further tests showed signs of constrictive pericarditis, a condition where the heart's outer layer becomes thickened and restricts its movement. The vet performed additional surgery to remove part of the thickened tissue around the heart, which helped, but the cat continued to have some fluid buildup, though it happened less often over time.
People also search for: cat breathing problems after surgery · constrictive pericarditis in cats · pleural effusion treatment cat
Abstract
A 4-year-old female spayed domestic longhair cat was referred for dyspnea. Further diagnostics revealed severe pleural effusion and a peritoneopericardial diaphragmatic hernia (PPDH). Following surgical correction of the PPDH the pleural effusion persisted. Re-check echocardiogram 4 weeks after initial evaluation revealed leftward deviation of the interventricular septum and interatrial septum occurring with inspiration. There were also exaggerated phasic changes in trans-tricuspid flow velocities suggestive of constrictive pericardial disease. Cardiac catheterization was performed and revealed elevated pressures in the right atrium and right ventricle. Constrictive pericarditis (CP) and epicarditis was confirmed at surgery, where subtotal pericardiectomy was performed with epicardial decortication. The cat continued to develop recurrent pleural effusion after surgery, although the volume and frequency of recurrence slowed over time. This is the first reported case of CP following PPDH repair in a cat.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24789591/