title: Analysis of the relationship of extrahepatic portosystemic shunt morphology with clinical variables in dogs: 53 cases (2009-2012).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate differences in clinical variables among dogs with extrahepatic portosystemic shunts (EHPSSs) of various morphologies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective case series.
  
  
  METHODS
  53 dogs with EHPSSs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medical records of dogs undergoing preoperative CT angiography of an EHPSS over a 3-year period were reviewed. Analysis was performed to investigate relationships of clinical variables with shunt morphology. Morphologies were analyzed individually as well as in several groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Shunt morphologies included 10 splenocaval, 9 splenophrenic, 11 splenoazygos, 10 right gastric-caval, 12 right gastric-caval with a caudal loop, and 1 right gastric-azygos with a caudal loop. Several biochemical variables associated with EHPSS were lowest in dogs with splenocaval shunts. Preoperative clinical signs were more common in dogs that had shunts with vena caval than right azygos vein insertion (36/41 [88%] vs 7/12 [58%]) and insertion caudal to the liver than diaphragmatic insertion (29/32 [91%] vs 14/21 [67%]). Neurologic signs were more common when shunts inserted into the vena cava caudal to the liver than in other locations (21/32 [66%] vs 6/21 [29%]) and were most frequent with splenocaval shunts. Urinary tract signs were more common when shunts had right gastric vein origin than gastrosplenic vein origin (14/23 [61%] vs 10/30 [33%]).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Splenocaval shunts caused more clinical abnormalities than did other shunt morphologies. Results suggested that dogs with shunt insertion in the caudal vena cava, especially caudal to the liver, were most likely to have clinical signs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824.
authors.forename: Michael B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Kraun
authors.forename: Laura L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: Joseph G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Hauptman
authors.forename: Nathan C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Nelson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000151:congenital* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000151:congenital / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D011168:Portal System / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D012189:Retrospective Studies