Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Coil embolization to treat liver shunts in young cats
By Culp, William T N et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2020·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Use of percutaneous transvenous coil embolization in the treatment of intrahepatic portosystemic shunts in four cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Four young cats, aged 6 to 9 months, were brought in with symptoms of a portosystemic shunt, which included neurological issues like disorientation and ataxia, as well as one cat with a urethral obstruction. After confirming the diagnosis through imaging, all cats underwent a procedure called percutaneous transvenous coil embolization (PTCE) to treat the shunt. Fortunately, there were no major complications during the procedure, and all cats were sent home. Follow-up evaluations showed that the neurological signs had resolved in three of the cats, and they returned to normal behavior, although one cat later developed a different type of shunt.
People also search for: cat portosystemic shunt symptoms · cat neurological problems treatment · percutaneous transvenous coil embolization for cats · cat urethral obstruction treatment
Abstract
CASE DESCRIPTION: 4 cats (6 to 9 months old) were evaluated because of clinical signs consistent with a portosystemic shunt (PSS). CLINICAL FINDINGS: Among the 4 cats, 3 had neurologic abnormalities including ataxia, head pressing, disorientation, and obtundation. One cat was evaluated because of urethral obstruction; a retrieved urethral stone was determined to have urate composition. Clinicopathologic findings (hypoproteinemia, low BUN concentration, and high serum bile acids concentration) were consistent with a PSS in all cats. A diagnosis of intrahepatic PSS (IHPSS) was made for all cats on the basis of ultrasonographic and CT findings. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: All cats underwent percutaneous transvenous coil embolization (PTCE). No major intraprocedural complications were encountered, and all cats were discharged from the hospital. For the 3 cats that were presented with neurologic signs, an evaluation performed at 12, 14, or 48 months after the procedure revealed resolution of the neurologic signs, and owners reported that the behavior of each cat appeared normal. One cat that initially had neurologic and gastrointestinal signs had lower urinary tract signs after PTCE and developed an acquired extrahepatic PSS. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Although IHPSSs in cats are uncommon, the outcomes of PTCE for the 4 cats of the present report suggested that this treatment may benefit cats with an IHPSS. No short-term complications were encountered, and all cats had improvement in clinical signs following PTCE, although an acquired extrahepatic PSS was later identified in 1 cat. Further investigation of the use of endovascular techniques for the treatment of IHPSSs in cats and other species is warranted.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32538708/