Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Video surgery for treating idiopathic chylothorax in dogs
By Kanai, Hiroo et al.·Published in Veterinary surgery : VS·2020·Kanai Veterinary Surgery, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Efficacy of en bloc thoracic duct ligation in combination with pericardiectomy by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for canine idiopathic chylothorax.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 13 dogs with idiopathic chylothorax, a condition causing fluid buildup in the chest, underwent surgery to treat their symptoms. The dogs were divided into two groups, one receiving a standard treatment and the other a newer technique called en bloc thoracic duct ligation (EB-TDL). Most dogs showed improvement after surgery, with 85.7% of those treated with EB-TDL experiencing long-term relief from fluid buildup, compared to only 20% in the standard treatment group. The EB-TDL method also resulted in shorter surgery times and quicker recovery. Overall, EB-TDL proved to be a successful option for treating this condition in dogs.
People also search for: dog chylothorax treatment · idiopathic chylothorax surgery · dog fluid in chest recovery
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To compare the outcomes of pericardiectomy performed with conventional clipping thoracic duct ligation (C-TDL) to those with en bloc thoracic duct ligation (EB-TDL) using video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for canine idiopathic chylothorax. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective consecutive case series. ANIMALS: Thirteen client-owned dogs with idiopathic chylothorax. METHODS: Medical records of dogs treated with pericardiectomy in combination with TDL by VATS without intraoperative contrast were reviewed. Five and seven dogs underwent C-TDL and EB-TDL, respectively, and 11 dogs were evaluated by preoperative and 7- to 10-days-postoperative computed tomography-lymphography (CTLG). No clinical symptoms with absent or minimal pleural effusion was defined as clinical improvement. Long-term remission (LTR) was defined as rapid resolution of pleural effusion and no recurrence for more than 1 year. Anesthesia time, operation time, the duration of hospitalization, and time until pleural effusion resolution were compared. RESULTS: Clinical improvement was achieved in 91.7% of the cases (C-TDL, 4/5; EB-TDL, 7/7), excluding one case of intraoperative death. The LTR rate was significantly higher with EB-TDL (6/7 [85.7%]) than with C-TDL (1/5 [20%]). Anesthesia time, operation time, and time until pleural effusion resolution were significantly better with EB-TDL than with C-TDL. The rates of thoracic ducts visualization by postoperative CTLG were 100% (5/5) with C-TDL and 42.9% (3/7) with EB-TDL. CONCLUSION: En bloc TDL was an effective treatment for canine idiopathic chylothorax in this patient population. It compared favorably to C-TDL, although missed branches at the time of surgery may explain the difference between C-TDL and EB-TDL in this small population of cases. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: En bloc TDL by VATS was an effective minimally invasive treatment for canine idiopathic chylothorax. Computed tomography-lymphography can be used for surgical planning and postoperative evaluation.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31880337/