Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Hydropulsion as Palliative, Long-Term, Last-Resort Treatment of Nasal Carcinoma in a Dog and a Cat.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association
- Year:
- 2019
- Authors:
- Bienes, Tom et al.
- Affiliation:
- From Veterinary Hospital Fré · France
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
An 8-year-old spayed female domestic shorthair cat and an 8-year-old neutered male Polish Lowland sheepdog were both having trouble with sneezing and, in the dog's case, bleeding from the nose. After tests showed they both had a large nasal tumor identified as cancer, a procedure called nasal hydropulsion was performed under anesthesia. This involved flushing the nasal cavity with saline to help clear the blockage caused by the tumor. While this treatment provided temporary relief and was repeated several times over the course of a year, it is important to note that it is not a substitute for more standard treatments like radiation or surgery. Overall, this method helped both pets live longer, despite some minor side effects.
Abstract
An 8 yr old spayed female domestic shorthair and an 8 yr old neutered male Polish Lowland sheepdog were evaluated for a 3 wk history of sneezing and a 5 day history of left epistaxis, respectively. In both cases, computed tomography revealed a voluminous nasal mass, which was later histologically identified as carcinoma, without cribriform plate involvement. Nasal hydropulsion was performed in both animals in sternal recumbency under general anesthesia. A Poole suction tip was inserted into the orad esophageal opening and adequacy of the endotracheal tube cuff inflation was checked. Sterile saline was forcefully infused into the obstructed nasal cavity to dislodge the tumor. Both patients had temporary resolution of clinical signs. Nasal hydropulsion was repeated as a palliative last-resort treatment at each clinical relapse (four times in both animals over ≥1 yr), allowing long-term survival. Minor complications included a self-limiting retrobulbar and oropharyngeal swelling in the cat and self-limiting epistaxis in both animals. Although this technique is not intended to represent an equivalent alternative to radiation or surgical therapies, nasal hydropulsion may represent an appropriate palliative, last-resort treatment in case of obstructive nasal tumors in dogs and cats, when radiation therapy or surgery is not affordable, available, or desired.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31433223/