title: Congenital portosystemic shunts in Maltese and Australian cattle dogs.
abstract: Congenital portosystemic shunts were definitively diagnosed in 62 dogs over a period of 15 years. Maltese and Australian Cattle Dogs were significantly overrepresented, accounting for 14 and 13 cases, respectively. Maltese invariably had a single extrahepatic shunt derived from the left gastric or gastrosplenic vein, whereas Cattle Dogs usually had large intrahepatic shunts involving the right liver lobes. The clinical syndromes resulting from anomalous portosystemic communications were indistinguishable in the 2 breeds. Fasting blood ammonia concentration was elevated in 20 of 22 dogs tested, providing a minimally invasive and effective means of diagnosis. Complete or partial shunt attenuation was performed successfully in all 9 Maltese and in 2 of 6 Cattle Dogs in which it was attempted.
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Cardiovascular Unit, University of Sydney, New South Wales.
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Tisdall
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Hunt
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Bellenger
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Malik
mesh_terms: D000641:Ammonia / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D001947:Breeding; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000235:genetics / Q000601:surgery / Q000662:veterinary; D004285:Dogs / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D011168:Portal System / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000601:surgery; D011169:Portal Vein / Q000002:abnormalities; D017678:Sex Distribution; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000641:Ammonia