Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Survival chances for cats with brain signs after shunt surgery
By Otero Balda, Ignacio et al.·Published in Veterinary surgery : VS·2025·Department of Small Animal Surgery·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Prognostic factors for short-term survival of cats that experienced postattenuation neurologic signs after surgical attenuation of single congenital portosystemic shunts.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 59 cats that had surgery to correct a liver condition called congenital portosystemic shunt (cPSS) developed neurological signs within a week after the procedure. Most of these cats, about 78%, survived for at least 30 days, but those that had seizures after the surgery had a much lower survival rate. Treatment with a medication called propofol was linked to even worse outcomes. Overall, while many cats recovered, those experiencing seizures and needing propofol treatment faced more challenges in surviving the critical period after surgery.
People also search for: cat seizures after surgery · congenital portosystemic shunt prognosis · cat neurological signs after surgery
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To report 30-day survival of cats that experienced postattenuation neurologic signs (PANS) after surgical attenuation of a single congenital portosystemic shunt (cPSS), and to investigate prognostic factors for short-term survival. STUDY DESIGN: Multi-institutional retrospective study. SAMPLE POPULATION: A total of 59 cats with cPSS that experienced PANS. METHODS: The medical records of 10 institutions were retrospectively reviewed to identify cats that underwent cPSS attenuation from January 1, 2010 through June 30, 2023 and developed PANS within 7 days postoperatively. Exclusion criteria were cats with arteriovenous malformation and cats lost-to-follow-up prior to 30 days. Logistic regression identified factors associated with 30-day survival. Odds Ratios (OR) and 95% CIs were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 46 (78.0%) PANS-affected cats survived to 30 days. A total of 13 (50.0%) of 26 cats that experienced postattenuation seizures (PAS) survived to 30 days, with most non-surviving cats experiencing generalized PAS. Cats that experienced PAS (p < .01, OR: 0.015, 95% CI: <0.001-0.281) and treatment of PANS with propofol (p < .01, OR: 0.112, 95% CI: 0.022-0.569) were associated with decreased odds of 30-day survival. CONCLUSION: Most cats that experienced PANS survived to 30 days; however, short-term survival rate was worse for cats that experienced PAS. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The prognosis for cats that experience PANS is generally good but experiencing PAS and requiring treatment with propofol are negative prognostic factors.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40349143/