Spontaneous pneumothorax associated withAspergillusbronchopneumonia in a dog

Spontaneous Pneumothorax: Management and Prognosis

This review article will review treatment and prognosis of spontaneous pneumothorax in dogs and cats. The advantages of surgical and medical management in dogs and cats, as well as current treatment practices, including autologous blood pleurodesis and small-bore chest tubes, will be discussed.

Spontaneous Pneumothorax: Pathophysiology, Clinical Presentation and Diagnosis

Spontaneous pneumothorax, which may have an acute or insidious onset in dogs and cats, results in respiratory difficulty and has the potential to be life threatening.^1-3 Dogs commonly develop spontaneous pneumothorax due to bullae or blebs, while cats typically have underlying inflammatory disease, like feline allergic airway disease. Urgent therapeutic intervention is essential in animals with respiratory distress. The recommended therapeutic strategies are typically different in each of these species due to underlying etiology. The first part of this review article will focus on physiology, clinical presentation, and diagnosis of spontaneous pneumothorax in dogs and cats. Advances in diagnostics, especially the recent utility of point of care ultrasound, will be discussed. The second part of the series will provide an overview of therapeutic options and management of patients with spontaneous pneumothorax, as well as information on prognosis.

Treatment and outcome of spontaneous pneumothorax secondary to suspected migrating vegetal foreign body in 37 dogs

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study is to describe surgical findings, treatment and outcome of spontaneous pneumothorax (SP) secondary to suspected migrating vegetal foreign body (MVFB).

METHODS

This retrospective study included dogs with computed tomography (CT) consistent with SP suspected to be secondary to MVFB that underwent thoracic surgery. They were divided into two groups according to whether CT identified (group 1) or only suspected (group 2) an MVFB.

RESULTS

Thirty-seven dogs were included (twenty-one in group 1 and 16 in group 2). An MVFB was identified during surgery in 18 of 21 of cases of group 1 and in 10 of 16 of group 2. An agreement between lobes affected on CT and surgical findings was observed in 34 of 40 lobes. In nine of 37 of cases, a lung perforation was identified without evidence of MVFB. Thirty-nine lobectomies were performed: 15 complete and 24 partial. No recurrence of pneumothorax was observed. In four dogs, a second surgery was necessary to remove an MVFB 1.5 to 3 months after the initial surgery due to secondary draining tracts.

CONCLUSION

Surgical approach planed with CT resolved SP in all cases before discharge with excellent short-term outcome and no major complication. CT was reliable to assess perforated lung lobes in 85% of cases. Clinical signs of delayed draining tract developed in 33% of cases where surgery failed to find an MVFB identified on CT.