Abstract
Oesophageal foreign bodies are common in dogs. Endoscopic removal is a viable treatment option but few studies have assessed the clinical and radiographic features that would be useful in decision-making and prognosis.Dogs (n = 44) with oesophageal foreign bodies presented to the University Veterinary Hospital were assessed. Terriers and West Highland White Terriers were significantly overrepresented (p < 0.0001) and in those breeds the foreign body was significantly (p < 0.0001) more likely to be located caudal to the heart base. The majority (88.6%) of foreign bodies were bones or bone fragments.Group 1 (n = 30) included animals where endoscopic removal was successful and Group 2 (n = 14) animals where it was unsuccessful or not attempted because of evidence of oesophageal rupture. There was no statistically significant difference in age, sex, body weight, type, location and size of foreign body, recovery rate, short-term complications and long-term outcome between the two groups. Duration of signs prior to presentation and time to spontaneous oral feeding were significantly longer (p < 0.01 in each case) in Group 2 (five days and 120 hours, respectively) compared to Group 1 (2 days and 24 hours, respectively). Mortality was 11.1%. Long-term follow-up of 29 dogs suggested oesophageal stricture formation manageable by feeding alone in seven (24.1%) cases.Terriers appear predisposed to oesophageal foreign bodies. Success of endoscopic removal is adversely affected by duration of signs prior to presentation. Surgical removal negatively influences time to recovery. Stricture formation appears to be a relatively common complication and alternate measures for its prevention should be sought.
Highlights
Oesophageal foreign bodies are reasonably common in dogs and can have serious consequences in terms of patient morbidity, mortality and cost (Pollock 1969; Houlton et al 1985; Spielman et al 1992; Augusto et al 2005) Diagnosing the presence of an oesophageal foreign body is usually straight forward, but deciding on whether endoscopic removal is possible may be more challenging
The objectives of this study were to describe a case series of dogs with oesophageal foreign bodies in order to identify any clinical or radiographic features that may be useful in decision making and prognosis
There were significantly (p < 0.001, in each case) more West Highland white terrier (WHWT) and terriers in the dogs presenting with oesophageal foreign bodies than those presenting for other reasons
Summary
Oesophageal foreign bodies are reasonably common in dogs and can have serious consequences in terms of patient morbidity, mortality and cost (Pollock 1969; Houlton et al 1985; Spielman et al 1992; Augusto et al 2005) Diagnosing the presence of an oesophageal foreign body is usually straight forward, but deciding on whether endoscopic removal is possible may be more challenging. Endoscopic assessment can be performed with subsequent retrieval per os or foreign body removal after dislodgement into the stomach. Advantages of endoscopic retrieval include the avoidance of invasive thoracotomy or laparotomy, significant cost reduction and faster time to recovery (Zimmer 1983). It has been shown that the degree of oesophagitis noted after foreign body removal is correlated to the duration and severity of some clinical signs (Rousseau et al 2007). The prognostic utility of other clinical and radiographic features has not been assessed with respect to successful endoscopic retrieval and both short- and long-term outcome. The objectives of this study were to describe a case series of dogs with oesophageal foreign bodies in order to identify any clinical or radiographic features that may be useful in decision making and prognosis
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