title: Surgical correction of late-onset Budd-Chiari-like syndrome in a dog.
abstract: An 18-month-old dog was examined because of ascites of 1 month's duration. Typical causes of ascites, including hepatic failure, heart failure, and protein-losing enteropathy, were ruled out. The dog's history included being hit by a car 6 months earlier, and the caudal vena cava had an S shape on thoracic radiographs. In addition, the abdominal fluid had a high protein concentration and low cellular content. These findings were all consistent with a diagnosis of postsinusoidal hypertension secondary to obstruction of hepatic venous outflow (Budd-Chiari-like syndrome). During exploratory thoracotomy, the pericardium appeared to have been torn from the heart and was partially wrapped around the caudal vena cava, causing a constriction. The pericardium was removed and the dog recovered without any further complications. Blunt trauma has been previously reported to cause kinking of the caudal vena cava and Budd-Chiari-like syndrome in dogs; but in these dogs, clinical signs of ascites developed a few days to several weeks after the traumatic incident. It appears that, depending on the cause of the hepatic venous outflow obstruction, onset of Budd-Chiari-like syndrome may be delayed for months.
authors.affiliation: Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48824-1314, USA.
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Fine
authors.forename: N B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Olivier
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Walshaw
authors.forename: W D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Schall
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000818:Animals; D001201:Ascites / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D006502:Budd-Chiari Syndrome / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery / Q000662:veterinary*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D010496:Pericardium / Q000293:injuries / Q000601:surgery; D011859:Radiography; D013997:Time Factors; D000267:Tissue Adhesions; D014682:Vena Cava, Inferior / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000662:veterinary