Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Surgery for portosystemic shunts in dogs - what to know
By White, R N et al.·Published in The Veterinary record·1998·Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Surgical treatment of intrahepatic portosystemic shunts in 45 dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 45 dogs with a serious liver condition called intrahepatic portosystemic shunts (where blood bypasses the liver) underwent surgery to correct the problem. While 8 dogs sadly died during or shortly after the surgery, the majority of the surviving dogs showed significant improvement. Out of 37 dogs that survived, 28 returned to normal health without needing any special medication or diet. Some dogs required a second surgery to fully close the shunt, while a few had to be euthanized due to ongoing health issues.
People also search for: dog liver shunt surgery · intrahepatic portosystemic shunt treatment · dog liver disease symptoms
Abstract
The surgical attenuation of an intrahepatic portosystemic shunt in 45 dogs is described. Twenty-nine (64 per cent) had left divisional shunts consistent with a patent ductus venosus (PDV), 15 (33 per cent) had central divisional shunts and one had a right divisional shunt. In the dogs with a PDV, the shunt vessel could be most easily manipulated at a posthepatic site, whereas in those with central and right divisional shunts the manipulation could be more easily made intrahepatically but sometimes involved demanding intravascular surgical techniques. Eight dogs (18 per cent) died during the surgery or shortly afterwards. Of the 37 dogs surviving longer term, 28 (76 per cent) became clinically normal and required no medication or diet control. In a further three animals the shunt was ligated completely only during a second surgical procedure. The remaining six dogs were euthanased because of clinical signs of encephalopathy which were either surgically or medically uncontrollable.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9587198/