Long-term results of thoracoscopic heart sac surgery in dogs

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To describe a 3-port right-sided thoracoscopic subtotal pericardiectomy (TSP) to treat dogs with recurrent idiopathic pericardial effusion (RIPE) and report their long-term survival. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series. ANIMALS: Sixteen client-owned dogs. METHODS: Medical records were searched for dogs with idiopathic pericardial effusion that recurred after 1 or more pericardiocenteses and treated with a 3-port right-sided technique (1 subxiphoid camera port and 2 instrument ports on the right side of the dog). Follow-up consisted of direct examination or communication with referring veterinarians or owners. RESULTS: Thoracoscopic subtotal pericardiectomy was successfully completed in all dogs, with no surgical complications. The median duration of postoperative follow-up was 191.5 days (range, 5-1345). The median survival time (MST) after surgery was 365 days (range, 5-1345); MST of dogs with a histopathological diagnosis of neoplasia (n = 4) was 76 days, whereas dogs with no evidence of neoplasia had an MST of 367 days (n = 12, P = .14). Recurrent pleural effusion was the ultimate cause of death or reason for euthanasia in 8 of 16 dogs. CONCLUSION: The technique described here resulted in similar surgical times and outcomes for dogs undergoing TSP for RIPE compared with previous studies. Neoplasia was identified in 4 of 16 dogs. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Thoracoscopic subtotal pericardiectomy can be readily performed with only 2 instrument ports, both on the same side of the dog, and without 1-lung ventilation. Recurrent pleural effusion led to the death of half of the dogs in this series.