Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with breathing trouble after nerve damage treated by diaphragm
By Matsumoto S et al.·2025·Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Japan·View original on Europe PMC →
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Original publication title: Tensioning diaphragmoplasty for treating bilateral phrenic nerve paralysis in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A spayed female Miniature Dachshund had trouble breathing after surgery to remove a large mass in her chest. The surgery accidentally damaged her phrenic nerves, leading to severe respiratory distress and difficulty breathing. After collapsing from exhaustion, she underwent a second surgery called tensioning diaphragmoplasty, which involved partially removing and reinforcing her diaphragm. This procedure helped her breathe better, and she did not have any further respiratory problems for over a year until she passed away from a different illness.
People also search for: dog breathing problems after surgery · Miniature Dachshund respiratory distress treatment · diaphragm surgery for dogs
Abstract
A spayed female Miniature dachshund presented with a large mediastinal mass. During thymectomy, the left phrenic nerve, which was encircled by the neoplastic tissue, was resected en bloc with the tumour and the right phrenic nerve was damaged by thermal coagulation from electrosurgery. Postoperatively, the dog exhibited significant respiratory distress and paradoxical respiratory movement. Bilateral diaphragmatic paralysis was confirmed on inspiratory radiographs, and lack of structural abnormalities on thoracic computed tomography was noted. The dog collapsed 5 days postoperatively from respiratory fatigue. Thus, salvage surgery and tensioning diaphragmoplasty were performed. Briefly, The diaphragm was partially resected, primarily closed and reinforced with a polypropylene mesh sutured on the abdominal surface. Thereafter, the dog's condition improved significantly. The dog did not present with respiratory issues until she died of urothelial carcinoma on day 375. In conclusion, this surgical technique can be considered to re-establish the function of the diaphragm.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Europe PMC: https://europepmc.org/article/MED/39930966