title: Treatment of inflammatory rectal strictures by digital bougienage: a retrospective study of nine cases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Inflammatory rectal strictures in dogs and cats have been rarely reported. The aim of this study was to describe nine cases and their treatment by digital bougienage.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medical records of dogs and cats referred for constipation, dyschezia or tenesmus and diagnosed with an inflammatory rectal stricture were obtained from the database of two referral centres between 2007 and 2014 and reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four dogs and five cats met the inclusion criteria. Four of the five cats were purebred kittens. Three cats and two dogs had a history of diarrhoea and two dogs had a history of bone ingestion. Digital rectal examination revealed rectal strictures in all cases. Histopathology revealed a lymphoplasmacytic infiltration in all four dogs and in two cats. All cases were treated by digital bougienage. A psyllium-enriched diet was prescribed in all cats and in two dogs. A complete resolution of clinical signs was reported in all eight cases for which follow-up information was available.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Benign rectal strictures associated with gastrointestinal inflammation should be routinely included in the differential diagnosis of constipation, tenesmus and dyschezia, especially after an episode of acute or chronic diarrhoea. The treatment described here is simple, minimally invasive and effective in the long term.
authors.affiliation: Université Paris Est, Ecole nationale vétérinaire d'Alfort, Unité de médecine interne, 94700, Maisons Alfort, France.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lamoureux
authors.affiliation: Université Paris Est, Ecole nationale vétérinaire d'Alfort, Unité de médecine interne, 94700, Maisons Alfort, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Maurey
authors.affiliation: Université Paris Est, Ecole nationale vétérinaire d'Alfort, Unité de médecine interne, 94700, Maisons Alfort, France.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Freiche
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D002415:Cats; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic / Q000601:surgery / Q000662:veterinary*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome