Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
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J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc. · Sep 1994
Evaluation of mesenteric lymphangiography and thoracic duct ligation in cats with chylothorax: 19 cases (1987-1992).
Mesenteric lymphangiography and thoracic duct ligation were performed on 19 cats with chylothorax between 1987 to 1992. Chylothorax was diagnosed on the basis of detection of chylomicrons in the pleural effusion or determination of a cholesterol concentration:triglyceride concentration ratio of < 1 in the pleural fluid. Preoperative medical treatment consisted of thoracentesis (19 of 19 cats) and feeding a fat-restricted diet (14 of 19 cats). ⋯ Nonchylous effusion, localized in the right hemithorax, was detected in 1 cat 2 months after thoracic duct ligation, but resolved after thoracotomy, breakdown of thoracic adhesions, and expansion of the right cranial lung lobe. Chylous effusion resolved 3 to 7 days (mean, 5.4 days) after surgery in the 10 cats that survived > 12 months after surgery. Four cats died between 2 and 13 days after thoracic duct ligation, but pleural effusion had resolved in 3 of these 4 cats at the time of death.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc. · Sep 1994
Surgical treatment for epiglottic entrapment in horses: 51 cases (1981-1992).
Medical records of 51 horses with epiglottic entrapment were reviewed, and the outcome after surgical treatment was evaluated by use of results from a survey of owners and from race records. Horses with epiglottic entrapment and no additional problem (uncomplicated) of the nares, nasal passages, pharynx, or larynx (upper airway) that were treated by transoral axial division (group 1) or resection via laryngotomy (group 2), and horses with epiglottic entrapment complicated by an additional upper airway abnormality (group 3) were compared. The cost of treatment, duration of hospitalization, time to first race start after surgery, and complication rate were significantly (P < 0.05) less in horses in group 1, compared with those in horses of group 2. ⋯ Analysis of race records indicated that performance was similar between horses in groups 1 and 2, and significantly more horses with an additional upper airway lesion (group 3) failed to return to racing than did horses with uncomplicated epiglottic entrapment (groups 1 and 2). Transoral axial division of the ary-epiglottic fold is recommended as an appropriate treatment for uncomplicated epiglottic entrapment. Resection via laryngotomy should be reserved for treatment of epiglottic entrapment associated with excessively thick and scarred aryepiglottic folds and for intermittent epiglottic entrapment in horses for which surgical correction is deemed appropriate.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)