Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with fluid in chest after diaphragm tear and kidney prolapse
By Störk, C K et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2003·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Hemiurothorax following diaphragmatic hernia and kidney prolapse in a cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 3-year-old cat was brought to the vet because it was having trouble breathing for four days. The vet found fluid in the chest and drained it multiple times. During surgery, they discovered that the cat's left kidney had moved into the chest and part of the spleen was also herniated due to a tear in the diaphragm. They couldn't fix the kidney's position, so they removed it and repaired the diaphragm. The cat recovered well after the surgery and is doing fine now.
People also search for: cat breathing problems · cat kidney surgery recovery · cat diaphragmatic hernia treatment
Abstract
A 3-year-old cat was presented with increasing dyspnoea over the past four days. Unilateral pleural effusion was diagnosed and a modified transudate was drained several times. Surgical exploration revealed intra-thoracic prolapse of the left kidney and partial herniation of the spleen through a dorsal, circumferential diaphragmatic tear. Biochemical analysis of the pleural fluid confirmed urothorax. Due to excessive fibrin deposit on the well-vascularised kidney it was impossible to re-establish left urinary pathways. Left-sided nephrectomy and diaphragmatic herniorrhaphy were performed. Postoperative recovery was uneventful and complete. This is the first report of an urothorax in veterinary medical literature.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12670434/