Premium
Morphology of congenital portosystemic shunts involving the right gastric vein in dogs
Author(s) -
White R. N.,
Parry A. T.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of small animal practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1748-5827
pISSN - 0022-4510
DOI - 10.1111/jsap.12355
Subject(s) - medicine , portosystemic shunt , shunt (medical) , right gastric vein , radiology , superior mesenteric vein , inferior mesenteric vein , portal venous system , angiography , splenic vein , portal vein , inferior vena cava , portal venous pressure , surgery , portal hypertension , cirrhosis
OBJECTIVE To describe the anatomy of congenital portosystemic shunts involving the right gastric vein in dogs. MATERIALS AND METHODS Retrospective review of a consecutive series of dogs managed for congenital portosystemic shunt. RESULTS Twenty‐two dogs met the inclusion criteria of a congenital portosystemic shunt involving the right gastric vein with recorded intraoperative mesenteric portovenography or computed tomography angiography and gross observations at the time of surgery. Of these, 20 (91%) had a shunt that entered the pre‐hepatic caudal vena cava at the level of the epiploic foramen and two (9%) had a shunt that entered the post‐hepatic caudal vena cava at the level of the diaphragm. Shunts entering the pre‐hepatic caudal vena cava could be further classified into three consistent subdivisions. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE The morphology of each shunt type described appeared to be a result of an abnormal communication between the left gastric vein and the caudal vena cava, the presence or absence of an abnormal communication between the splenic, left gastric and portal veins and the subsequent development of preferential blood flow through essentially normal portal vessels within the portal venous system. The abnormal communication (shunt) was through the left gastric vein and not the right gastric vein, as might have been expected. This information may help with surgical planning in cases undergoing shunt closure surgery.