Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with recurring chylothorax after thoracic duct surgery
By Kerpsack, S J et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1995·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Progressive lymphangiectasis and recurrent chylothorax in a dog after thoracic duct ligation.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old Bernese Mountain Dog was brought in for breathing problems caused by fluid buildup in the chest. After surgery to remove part of a lung, the dog developed a condition called chylothorax, where lymphatic fluid accumulates in the chest cavity. Despite attempts to fix the issue by blocking the thoracic duct, the fluid continued to return. Eventually, a special shunt was placed to help drain the fluid, but the chylothorax returned nearly a year later. This case highlights the challenges in treating this complex condition in dogs.
People also search for: Bernese Mountain Dog breathing problems · chylothorax treatment in dogs · pleural effusion in dogs
Abstract
A 2-year-old Bernese Mountain Dog was examined to determine the cause of bilateral pleural effusion. Torsion was diagnosed, and a lobectomy of a lung lobe was performed. Chylothorax developed 12 days after lung lobectomy. Mesenteric lymphangiography revealed lymphangiectasis Lymphangiography immediately after surgical thoracic duct was completely obstructed, but chylothorax persisted after thoracic duct ligation. Lymphangiography was repeated 50 days after ligation of the thoracic duct and revealed multiple patent thoracic duct branches and progressive lymphangiectasis. A second attempt to ligate the thoracic duct caused the effusion to become serosanguineous. A pleuroperitoneal shunt with a manually operated pump chamber was used to remove the pleural effusion. Chylothorax was again detected 50 weeks after placement of shunt. Mesenteric lymphangiography revealed multiple patent thoracic duct branches and a lymphatic plexus that extended across the thoracic cavity.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7559046/