Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Small dog with heart tumor and hole in heart fixed by surgery
By Mihara, Kippei et al.·Published in Open veterinary journal·2024·Chayagasaka Animal Hospital, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Simultaneous surgical repair of a cardiac myxoma causing left ventricular outflow tract obstruction and a ventricular septal defect in a small dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 7-month-old female miniature dachshund was brought in for poor growth, tiredness, and a heart murmur. Tests showed she had a rare heart tumor (myxoma) causing a blockage in her heart and a hole between the heart chambers (ventricular septal defect). The vet performed two surgeries at once to remove the tumor and fix the hole, using special techniques to protect her heart during the procedure. Remarkably, the dog recovered well and lived for 11 more years without any heart issues after the surgery.
People also search for: dog heart murmur treatment · miniature dachshund heart tumor · puppy growth issues heart problems
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Cardiac myxomas are benign tumours that can occur in any heart chamber or valve. They are extremely rare in dogs. We present a novel case involving a cardiac myxoma in the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) and a ventricular septal defect (VSD) in a small dog. CASE DESCRIPTION: A female miniature dachshund (age, 7 months; weight, 2.88 kg) presented with growth insufficiency, lethargy, and a cardiac murmur. Echocardiography revealed a small polypoid mass in the LVOT and a membranous VSD. Simultaneous surgeries were performed to resect the mass (aortotomy) and close the VSD (right atriotomy) using low-flow cardiopulmonary bypass with surface-cooling hypothermia and retrograde cardioplegia. The tumour was histopathologically identified as a myxoma. The dog survived with no cardiac complications for 11 years after surgery. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first report of ante-mortem diagnosis and simultaneous surgical repair of a cardiac myxoma obstructing the LVOT and a VSD in a small-breed dog. In addition to describing this complicated case, this report presents what we believe is the first reported use of retrograde cardioplegia during open-heart surgery in a small-breed dog.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38549570/