Surgical management of tricuspid valve stenosis in a dog

Publication date: Available online 26 April 2019Source: Journal of Veterinary CardiologyAuthor(s): Poppy Bristow, Anne Kurosawa, Virginia Luis Fuentes, Lynda Rutherford, Dan BrockmanAbstractA 2 year 4 month old female neutered Labrador retriever was presented for evaluation right sided congestive heart failure. Echocardiographic examination revealed tricuspid valve dysplasia with only two small orifices in the valve resulting in severe tricuspid stenosis. The dog underwent a right fifth lateral intercostal thoracotomy and surgical tricuspid valvulotomy, under cardiopulmonary bypass. The stenosis was relieved by dividing the valve leaflets between the two orifices with continuation to the commissures, creating a ‘bi-leaflet’ valve. The dog made a good recovery initially with echocardiography at 48 hours after surgery showing a reduction in tricuspid valve E and A wave velocities and pressure half time (from 230 ms to to 65 ms). She was discharged five days after surgery with spironolactone, benazepril, pimobendan and clopidogrel. The dog was re-presented two days later having collapsed, with pyrexia, facial swelling and pitting edema on the ventral neck and intermandibular region. Investigations did not reveal an underlying cause and the clinical signs resolved with supportive therapy. Two years after surgery the dog was free of clinical signs with normal exercise tolerance and only mild tricuspid regurgitation on echocardiography, with discontinuation of all medications.
Source: Journal of Veterinary Cardiology - Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research