Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Surgical correction of pectus excavatum, using external splintage in two dogs and a cat.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Year:
- 1989
- Authors:
- Fossum, T W et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery · United States
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Three young animals, two puppies aged 4 weeks and a 7-week-old kitten, were having trouble breathing because of a condition called pectus excavatum, where the chest is shaped inwards. To help them, veterinarians used a special splint that was attached to the chest to reshape it. They carefully placed stitches around the breastbone and through the splint to hold everything in place. After the surgery, all three pets showed improvement, with their breathing distress resolved and their chest shapes returning to normal. The treatment was successful for all of them.
Abstract
Two 4-week-old pups and a 7-week-old kitten with respiratory distress and pectus excavatum were treated by external application of a coaptation splint to the ventral aspect of the thorax. Sutures were placed percutaneously around the sternum and through predrilled holes in a piece of moldable splint material that had been contoured to fit a normal-shaped thorax. Correction of the sternal deformity and alleviation of respiratory distress were achieved in all 3 animals. Frontosagittal index and vertebral index were assessed before and after surgery. In all 3 animals, both indices were abnormal before surgery, but were within the normal range after surgery.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2759902/