Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Surgery to treat idiopathic chylothorax in 12 dogs and outcomes
By Viehoff, F W & Stokhof, A A·Published in Tijdschrift voor diergeneeskunde·2003·Hoofdafdeling Geneeskunde van Gezelschapsdieren, Netherlands·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: [En bloc ligation of the thoracic duct in twelve dogs with idiopathic chylothorax].
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Twelve dogs with a condition called idiopathic chylothorax, which causes fluid buildup in the chest, underwent a surgical procedure to block the thoracic duct. Out of these dogs, six made a full recovery and were doing well after at least 12 months. Unfortunately, five dogs had to be euthanized within five months due to ongoing fluid issues, and one more was euthanized two months later because of breathing problems that returned. The surgery used in this case was found to be simpler than previous methods, which could help more dogs in the future.
People also search for: dog chylothorax treatment · dog breathing problems after surgery · recovery from dog thoracic duct surgery
Abstract
Twelve dogs with idiopathic chylothorax were treated by en bloc ligation of the thoracic duct. Six dogs recovered completely. Minimal follow-up in this group was 12 months. Five dogs were euthanized within 5 months of surgery because of persisting liquothorax: two with chylous and three with non-chylous effusions. One dog was euthanized 2 months after surgery because of a recurrence of dyspnoea. It is concluded that the results are comparable with those of a previously described surgical treatment; however, the technique described here is less complicated because it does not require mesenteric lymphangiography.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12769037/