Acquired diaphragmatic eventration in a dog
Lucio, Bruna MarquardtFighera, Rafael AlmeidaPinto Filho, Saulo Tadeu LemosFlores, Mariana Martins
Background: Diaphragmatic eventration is characterized by weakness of the diaphragmatic muscle, which leads to cranialdislocation of the affected diaphragm and, ultimately, in dyspnea. This condition is rare in humans and even rarer in animals,and may be congenital or acquired. The acquired form is less commom and may be induced by trauma or inflammationand neoplastic invasion of the phrenic nerve. Here, we report a case of acquired diaphragmatic eventration in a dog, withthe aim of increasing the knowledge of this condition in animals and helping others to recognize and treat future cases.Case: A 12-year-old male dachshund presented with severe dyspnea, exercise intolerance and episodes of coughing. Basedon a physical examination and imaging, the main suspicion was a diaphragmatic hernia, and surgery was performed. Whenthe surgeon entered the thoracic cavity, an extremely thin - yet, intact - right hemidiaphragm was observed. The left sideof the diaphragm was normal. A polypropylene mesh was sutured to the affected diaphragm in an attempt to strengthenthe hemidiaphragmatic muscles and prevent further insinuations of viscera into the thoracic cavity. The dog developedbronchopneumonia, postoperatively, and was hospitalized and treated with antibiotics, analgesics and support medication.However, the dog died five days after surgery. A postmortem examination revealed that the right side of the diaphragmwas markedly thin and flaccid. Diaphragm samples were collected for histopathological examination. For comparison, asample of normal diaphragm was collected from a same age, matched dachshund that died due to an unrelated condition.This tissue was called diaphragm control, and it was collected in order to compare the histologic features of a normaldiaphragm muscle with the affected one. Histopathology revealed a marked reduction of muscle fibers...(AU)
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