Iliadis P. DVM, MSc Student, Companion Animals Clinic, Veterinary School of Thessaloniki
Angelou V. DVM, MSc, PhD in Small Animals Surgery, Companion Animals Clinic, Veterinary School of Thessaloniki
Stylianaki I. DVM, Assistant Professor in Veterinary Pathology, Veterinary School of Thessaloniki
Papazoglou L. DVM, Professor in Small Animals Surgery, Companion Animals Clinic, Veterinary School of Thessaloniki
Introduction
Thoracic wall masses are usually malignant and require wide dissection including at least 2 unaffected ribs, cranial and caudal to the lesion. The purpose of the present report is to describe diaphragmatic advancement for thoracic wall reconstruction, after wide mass dissection in a dog.
Clinical case
A seven- year old, 7 kg, mixed breed, female dog was presented for diagnosis and treatment of a mass on the right thoracic wall. The dog had no clinical signs related to the mass and previous antibiotic treatment was given without improvement The mass was located at the right caudal thoracic wall and thoracic radiographs showed a soft tissue mass adhered to the thoracic wall without bone invasion. From the cytological examination a mesenchymal tumor was suspected.
Results
The mass was excised with 3-cm margins, including the last five ribs. Advancement of the diaphragm was used for the thoracic wall reconstruction and a polypropylene mesh was used to cover the deficit in the abdominal wall. The dog recovered uneventfully, with only a small dehiscence in the middle of the incision, which was left to heal by second intention.
Conclusion
Lateralization of the diaphragm can be used for the reconstruction of caudal thoracic wall, as in this clinical report, with good outcome. More research is needed to assess the safety, reliability and possible complications.
References
- Oliver P, Gilman, Daniel M, Ogden (2021) Lateralization of the diaphragm for thoracic wall reconstruction of the dog. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2021 258, 85–88.
- Geraldine B, Hunt (2018) Thoracic wall. In: Veterinary Surgery Small Animal 2nd edition. Spencer A. Johnston, Karen M. Tobias, pp. 20012019.
- A. de Battisti, G. Polton, M. de Vries and E. Friend (2015) Chest wall reconstruction with latissimus dorsi and an autologous thoracolumbar fascia graft in a dog. Journal of Small Animal Practice (2015) 56, 218–222.
- Zoe J Halfacree, Stephen J Baines, Victoria J Lipscomb, James Grierson, Brian A Summers, Daniel J Brockman (2007) Use of a Latissimus Dorsi Myocutaneous Flap for One-Stage Reconstruction of the Thoracic Wall After En bloc Resection of Primary Rib Chondrosarcoma in Five Dogs. Veterinary Surgery 36, 587–592, 2007.
