Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Whippet with exercise weakness caused by aortic dissection and shunt
By Cornelis, I et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2014·Department of Medicine and Clinical Biology of Small Animals·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Unilateral shunt formation with thoracic aortic dissection in a whippet.
Plain-English summary
A 3-year-old neutered male whippet was brought in because he was having trouble using his back legs during exercise. The vet found that his femoral pulses were missing and noticed blood pressure issues, with low readings in his back legs and high readings in his front right leg. Imaging showed a tear in the aorta, which caused a blood flow problem, leading to a shunt that helped maintain blood flow to his back legs. Unfortunately, the owner chose not to pursue further examination after the diagnosis.
People also search for: whippet exercise-induced paraparesis · dog aortic dissection symptoms · treatment for dog blood flow issues
Abstract
A three-year-old neutered male whippet was presented with intermittent, exercise-induced paraparesis. Femoral pulses were bilaterally absent. Neurologic examination was suggestive of a thoracolumbar myelopathy. Blood pressure measurements revealed hypotension in both pelvic limbs, hypertension in the right thoracic limb and it was immeasurable in the left thoracic limb. Echocardiography was within reference limits. A clear vascular pulsation was palpable on the right ventral abdominal wall. Computed tomographic angiography revealed a dissection of the aortic wall between the left subclavian artery and the brachiocephalic trunk with subsequent thrombus formation. A shunt between the right internal thoracic, cranial and caudal epigastric arteries to preserve blood flow to the pelvic limbs was visualized. Necropsy was declined by the owner. This is the first case report describing the formation of a unilateral vascular shunt following a thoracic aortic occlusion, which presented as exercise-induced paraparesis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24602076/