Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Surgical removal of heartworms cured a cat with caval syndrome
By Glaus, T M et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1995·Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Surgical removal of heartworms from a cat with caval syndrome.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 4-year-old male domestic shorthair cat was brought in with severe breathing problems due to a heartworm infection that caused caval syndrome. The vet confirmed the diagnosis using ultrasound and tests, revealing many adult heartworms in the cat's heart. Instead of using medication to kill the heartworms, the vet opted for surgery to remove them directly through an incision in the jugular vein. After the surgery, the cat's breathing problems and other symptoms completely resolved, suggesting that surgery can be an effective option for cats with serious heartworm infections.
People also search for: cat heartworm symptoms · cat breathing problems treatment · heartworm surgery for cats
Abstract
Caval syndrome was diagnosed in a 4-year-old male domestic shorthair cat with severe dyspnea attributable to chylothorax. The diagnosis of heartworm infection was made on the basis of the ultrasonographic detection of a large number of adult heartworms in the right side of the heart and positive results for modified Knott's and heartworm antigen tests. Heartworms were surgically removed through an incision in the jugular vein, using a string-type horsehair brush and an alligator forceps. All clinical signs resolved after the surgery. Although treatment with agents that would kill the adult heartworms was considered, surgical treatment was used on the cat reported here. Surgical treatment may be the method of choice for use in cats with severe or persistent clinical signs attributable to infections with large numbers of heartworms.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7744688/