Preoperative immunosuppressive therapy and surgery as a treatment for anal furunculosis.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the efficacy of combining preoperative immunosuppressive therapy with surgical excision for treatment of anal furunculosis (AF) in dogs.


METHODS
Retrospective study.


METHODS
Dogs (n=25) with stages 1-4 AF.


METHODS
Preoperative immunosuppressive therapy was either cyclosporine A (CyA) alone or in combination with ketoconazole (Group 1; n=18), or azathioprine combined with prednisolone (Group 2; n=7). Surgical excision of residual draining tracts, cryptectomy, and anal sacculectomy were performed. Only dogs with postoperative clinical follow-up exceeding 9 months were retained for the study.


RESULTS
Both immunosuppressive protocols were effective in reducing progression of AF. Subsequent draining tracts excision, cryptectomy, and anal sacculectomy were bilateral (12 dogs) or unilateral (13 dogs of which 4 had bilateral anal sacculectomy). Postoperative recovery was uneventful, except for 2 dogs that had wound breakdown. Recurrence was not observed in any of the dogs that had bilateral surgical excision and or in 9 dogs that had unilateral excision.


CONCLUSIONS
Preoperative immunosuppressive therapy, combined with bilateral surgical resection of affected tissue consistently, resulted in resolution of AF. Four dogs that had recurrence had unilateral excision despite initial bilateral involvement, suggesting that all diseased tissue should be excised.


CONCLUSIONS
These preliminary results suggest that immunosuppressive therapy before surgical excision for AF yields minimizes recurrence in dogs.
Klein
Arnaud
A
Unité Pédagogique de Pathologie Chirurgicale, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Maisons-Alfort, France.
Deneuche
Aymeric
A
Fayolle
Pascal
P
Hidalgo
Antoine
A
Scotti
Stefano
S
Zylberstein
Luca
L
Desbois
Christophe
C
Tessier
Dominique
D
Moissonnier
Pierre
P
Viateau
Véronique
V
D000695:Anal Sacs / Q000601:surgery*; D000818:Animals; D001004:Anus Diseases / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D016572:Cyclosporine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000601:surgery* / Q000628:therapy; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D005667:Furunculosis / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007654:Ketoconazole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D011300:Preoperative Care / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D012008:Recurrence; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D016572:Cyclosporine; D007654:Ketoconazole