Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with seizures and balance problems treated for splenophrenic shunt
By H. Yoon et al.·Published in Veterinární Medicína·2014·College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, South Korea, CZ·View original on DOAJ →
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Original publication title: Surgical correction of a splenophrenic shunt in a dog: a case report
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 9-year-old spayed female Shih Tzu weighing 4.3 kg was brought in for seizures, unsteady walking, and excessive drooling that had been happening for two months. After imaging tests, the vet found a splenophrenic shunt, which is an abnormal blood vessel connection. The dog underwent surgery where a band was placed around the shunt, but her symptoms continued to fluctuate. A second surgery was performed to place a different type of constrictor, and three months later, her bile acid levels improved significantly, indicating better liver function.
People also search for: Shih Tzu seizures treatment · dog splenophrenic shunt surgery · elevated bile acids in dogs
Abstract
A 4.3 kg, nine-year-old, spayed female Shih Tzu was presented for a two-month history of seizures, ataxia, and hyper-salivation. A diagnosis of a splenophrenic shunt was made by use of computed tomography angiography with volume-rendered imaging. A cellophane band was placed around the shunt after its isolation from the central tendon of the diaphragm. Clinical signs continued to wax and wane. Preprandial and postprandial bile acids levels were still elevated 10 months after surgery. An ameroid ring constrictor was placed around the shunt vessel before the vessel entered the diaphragm from its caudal aspect. At three months after the second surgery, the dog was near the normal ranges of preprandial and postprandial bile acids. Although a study of the anatomy of different types of extrahepatic portosystemic shunts has been reported in dogs, to the authors' knowledge, there is a lack of information on clinical presentation, treatment, and postoperative results in a specific type of extrahepatic portosystemic shunt, such as a splenophrenic shunt. Cellophane banding should be avoided for occlusion of a splenophrenic shunt passing along the central tendon of the diaphragm.
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Search related cases →Original publication on DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.17221/7660-VETMED