Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with repeated esophagus narrowing treated by metal stent
By Glanemann, Barbara et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2008·Clinic for Small Animal, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Recurrent single oesophageal stricture treated with a self-expanding stent in a cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 1-year-old female domestic shorthair cat was having trouble swallowing and was regurgitating food for about a month after taking an antibiotic. Tests showed she had a narrowing in her esophagus, which was treated with balloon dilation multiple times, but the stricture kept coming back. The owner chose not to use a feeding tube, so the vet placed a self-expanding metal stent to keep the esophagus open. For a year, the cat was able to eat without issues, but eventually, she became lethargic and could no longer eat, leading to the difficult decision of euthanasia. A post-mortem exam revealed that the stent had become blocked by hair and tissue growth, which contributed to her decline.
People also search for: cat swallowing problems · cat esophagus treatment · cat regurgitation causes · cat stent for esophagus · cat lethargy after eating
Abstract
A 1-year-old, female spayed domestic shorthair cat was presented with a 4-week history of dysphagia and regurgitation soon after oral treatment with clindamycin. Fluoroscopic and endoscopic examinations confirmed the presence of a single cervical oesophageal stricture 4 cm caudal to the pharynx. A fluoroscopically and endoscopically guided balloon dilation was performed six times consecutively over a period of 3 weeks as reformation of the stricture appeared within 3-7 days. Feeding via percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy-tube as long-term management of the condition was declined by the owner. A self-expanding metal oesophageal stent with the following dimension was subsequently implanted: fully open diameter 16 mm, length 30 mm. After stent implantation, the cat was fed on mashed canned food and did not show any clinical signs for 12 months. Twelve months post-implantation the cat was no longer able to eat even liquid food, became lethargic and the owner opted for euthanasia. On post-mortem examination the stent surfaces were overgrown by oesophageal mucosa by approximately 50%. Stent obstruction was detected and caused by swallowed hair which also seemed to have hampered mucosal integration in the distal part of the stent.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18602325/