Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Computed tomography angiography of a congenital extrahepatic splenocaval shunt in a foal.
- Journal:
- Acta veterinaria Scandinavica
- Year:
- 2019
- Authors:
- Willems, Dorien Suzanne et al.
- Affiliation:
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine · Netherlands
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 1-month-old male foal was showing signs of being very tired, having trouble walking straight, circling, smacking his lips, and having coordination issues. Tests revealed he had high ammonia levels in his blood, and a special imaging test called computed tomography angiography (CTA) showed he had a rare abnormal blood vessel connecting his spleen and a major vein. Unfortunately, during surgery to fix this problem, the veterinarians couldn't close off the abnormal vessel, and the foal was euthanized due to complications. This case highlights that CTA can be useful for diagnosing this type of blood vessel issue in foals and planning for surgery.
Abstract
Congenital portosystemic shunts in foals are rare and only a small number of cases have been described. Detailed description of the course of the shunt is lacking in earlier reports. This is the first detailed description of a computed tomography angiography (CTA) displaying an extra-hepatic splenocaval shunt. A 1-month old colt showing increasing signs of dullness, ataxia, circling, lip-smacking and coordination problems was presented. Hyperammonemia was detected and abdominal CTA revealed an extra-hepatic portocaval shunt. During surgery, ligation of the abnormal vessel could not be achieved, and the foal was euthanized because of complications during surgery. CTA provided a detailed overview of portal vasculature. If a portosystemic shunt is suspected in a foal, CTA can be used to confirm the diagnosis and for surgical planning.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31412901/