Use of Dacron prosthesis in esophageal diverticula in a dog – a case report

A one-and-a-half-year-old male dog of the Caniche breed was examined for repeated regurgitation episodes. At clinical examination food or liquid regurgitation episodes were reported at different times after food ingestion. The esophagus was visualized with the videoendoscope and then examined on liquid barium sulphate. The assessment revealed the existence of two cervically and mediastinally (intrathoracically) located dilatations. The surgical procedure was based on polyester vascular prostheses also used in human vascular surgery. The surgery was performed in two stages with a 4 week interval in between, without the resection of the dilated walls, with the prostheses positioned and fixed in different ways and with very good post surgery recovery. Eleven months after the surgery the dog’s health condition was very good. To our knowledge, this is the first report about these procedures which avoid the resection of a portion of the esophagus wall, thus preventing the occurrence of scars or strictures at this level, and prostheses increase the support and stability of the affected esophagus portion. Canine, esophagus, diverticular dilatation, surgery One-and-a-half-year-old male dog, Caniche, 6.5 kg, was presented, manifesting repeated food or non food (liquid) regurgitation episodes at different times after food ingestion. A polyester prosthesis was used on the subject. This type of prosthesis features good stability and elasticity, and can work more than 10 years after the implant. It is highly resistant, toxic free, does not cause either intolerance or undesired side effects and reacts well in high flow and high speed areas. Esophagus diseases in dogs are diagnosed based on regurgitation episodes ocurring mostly after eating. Postprandial regurgitation is common in dogs suffering from esophageal diverticulum (Shaw et al. 1997). Esophageal diverticula are either congenital or inherited as dilatation (sack) of the esophageal wall with lower frequency in dogs. Consequently there are only a few reports on this issue world-wide (Hil l et al. 1979). Esophageal diverticula are classified as pulsion and traction diverticula (Shaw et al. 1997) with the remark that pulsion diverticula are incriminated in the epiphrenic area (Pearson et al. 1978). Authors such as Qin et al. (2003) and Zhang et al. (2008) used polyurethane artificial stent prostheses covered by chitosan-collagen sponge in dogs for esophagus reconstruction purpose. This report describes the clinical, endoscopic and therapeutic features of a canine patient suffering from double esophageal diverticulum (in the cervical and endothoracic area) in which vascular prosthesis was used for the first time.