Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Surgery to fix swallowing problems in a 6-month-old Coton de Tulear
By Welch, Bryan et al.·Published in The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne·2023·Department of Small Animal Internal Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Cricopharyngeal and thyropharyngeal myectomy for management of cricopharyngeal achalasia in a 6-month-old coton de Tulear dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 6-week-old female coton de Tulear was brought to the vet because she had trouble swallowing since she was born. After tests, the vet found she had cricopharyngeal achalasia, a condition that affects how food moves from the throat to the stomach. To help her eat while she grew, the vet placed a feeding tube. At 6 months old, she had surgery to correct the swallowing issue, and she showed significant improvement right after the operation. A year later, she continued to do well, indicating that surgery was successful and she could eat normally.
People also search for: coton de Tulear swallowing problems · dog surgery for dysphagia · cricopharyngeal achalasia treatment
Abstract
A 6-week-old intact female coton de Tulear dog presented to a veterinary teaching hospital (VTH) internal medicine service for dysphagia that was persistent since birth. The patient was diagnosed with cricopharyngeal achalasia based on a fluoroscopic swallow study. To facilitate surgical intervention, a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube was placed to bypass the upper esophageal sphincter and provide nutritional support until the dog was larger. At 6 mo of age, the dog underwent unilateral cricopharyngeal and thyropharyngeal myectomy. Marked improvement in dysphagia was noted immediately postoperatively. Improvement in dysphagia persisted in this dog, with continued marked improvement in clinical signs noted 1 y postoperatively. Key clinical message: Cricopharyngeal achalasia can be successfully managed with surgical intervention with a good long-term prognosis. Before surgical intervention, nutritional support is of critical importance. A combined procedure of cricopharyngeal and thyropharyngeal myectomy may be associated with outcomes superior to those of alternative procedures.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37397703/