Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Treatment of idiopathic chylothorax in dogs and cats with thoracic
By Bussadori, Roberto et al.·Published in Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)·2011·Clinica Veterinaria Gran Sasso, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Pleural omentalisation with en bloc ligation of the thoracic duct and pericardiectomy for idiopathic chylothorax in nine dogs and four cats.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old Labrador and an 8-year-old domestic shorthair cat were treated for idiopathic chylothorax, a condition where fluid builds up in the chest. They underwent a combined surgery that involved ligating the thoracic duct and removing part of the pericardium, but the results were mixed. While most pets showed improvement, one dog and one cat did not see a decrease in symptoms after the first surgery, and another dog had a recurrence of symptoms after five months. Overall, about 77% of the dogs and 75% of the cats remained healthy for at least six months after surgery, but the addition of a specific technique did not seem to improve outcomes.
People also search for: dog chylothorax treatment · cat fluid in chest surgery · Labrador surgery recovery time
Abstract
Conventional treatment of idiopathic chylothorax (IC) involves thoracic duct (TD) ligation (with/without lymphagiography) combined with subphrenic pericardiectomy. Nine dogs and four cats with IC, which received intrathoracic omentalisation with TD en bloc ligation (not preceded by lymphangiography) and subphrenic pericardiectomy, were evaluated retrospectively. Seven of nine dogs and 3/4 cats were still alive and disease-free at the time of reporting (range 10-53 and 19-31 months, respectively). Clinical signs of IC did not decrease after the first surgery in one cat and one dog; in another dog clinical signs recurred after 5 months. Overall efficacy rate of this one-stage combined procedure was 77% (6 months), 73% (12 months), and 57% (24 months). Where a second surgery was performed in case of failure, the success rate in dogs was 89% (6 months) and 80% (24 months). Addition of pleural omentalisation to TD en bloc ligation and subphrenic pericardiectomy does not seem to improve results when compared with published data and at present does not seem advisable as a first choice.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20561805/