Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with rare porto-azygos shunt diagnosed by ultrasound
By C.J. Santos et al.·Published in Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia·View original on DOAJ →
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Original publication title: Ultrasonography and portography in the diagnosis of shunt portoazigos in a dog - case report
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
An 8-month-old male Yorkshire Terrier was brought to the vet with neurological symptoms, including head pressing, unsteady movements, tremors, and brief episodes of blindness and deafness. The vet used ultrasound and a special imaging technique called portography to find an unusual blood vessel connection (portoazygos shunt) that was affecting the dog's health. After confirming the diagnosis, the vet performed surgery to correct the shunt using an ameroid constrictor. Following the surgery, the dog showed improvement in his symptoms and overall condition.
People also search for: dog head pressing · Yorkshire Terrier neurological signs · portosystemic shunt treatment · dog surgery for shunt · ataxia in dogs
Abstract
ABSTRACT Portosystemic shunt (PSS) is an anomalous vascular connection between the portal venous system and the systemic circulation. These deviations connect the main portal vein (PV) or some portal branches to the vena cava (VC) or, less commonly, to the azygos vein (AV). The purpose of this case report was to describe the diagnosis of PSS in a dog classified as porto-azygos. This diagnosis is considered uncommon compared to other portosystemic shunts using ultrasonography and portography. The subject was a male dog, Yorkshire, 8 months old, presented neurological signs characterized by head press, ataxia, tremors and episodes of temporary blindness and deafness. Ultrasonographic examination revealed a dilated and curved anomalous vessel with approximately 0.6cm of diameter and turbulent flow seen through pulsed and color Doppler, and segmental dilation of the azygos vein. The portography revealed enhancement by iodinated contrast in the jejunal vein, the portal vein and an anomalous vessel flowing towards the azygos vein in the craniodorsal region of the abdomen. The PSS was surgically corrected with an ameroid constrictor. Ultrasonography and portography were effective at detecting and characterizing the portoazygos shunt despite some limitations.
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Search related cases →Original publication on DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-4162-10286