title: Preoperative immunosuppressive therapy and surgery as a treatment for anal furunculosis.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Unité Pédagogique de Pathologie Chirurgicale, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Maisons-Alfort, France.
authors.forename: Arnaud
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: Aymeric
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Deneuche
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fayolle
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hidalgo
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Scotti
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zylberstein
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Desbois
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tessier
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Moissonnier
authors.forename: Véronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Viateau
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D016572:Cyclosporine; D007654:Ketoconazole