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Comparison of Two Surgical Treatments of Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus in Dogs

Sammenligning av to kirurgiske behandlingsmetoder av ventrikkeldilatasjons/torsjons-syndromet hos hund

Abstract

The purpose of this randomized clinical study was to compare the effect of 2 surgical methods in the treatment of gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) in dogs. One group of dogs (group A) was treated with and one group (group B) without fixation of the stomach.

Group A consisted of 21 cases (including 2 dropouts) and group B of 10 cases. The dogs in group A received decompression, anatomical repositioning of the stomach and a circumcostal gastropexy and the dogs in group B (the control group) received the same treatment without gastropexy. Supportive treatment was the same for both groups. The randomization of the dogs in groups A and B was successful with only small differences between the 2 groups in the breed, age, sex and initial decompression methods.

At the end of the study (censoring time), the median survival times were significantly different between group A and group B, respectively 549 and 107 days. There were no recurrences in group A while in group B 3 dogs (50%) experienced a recurrence within 6 months. The overall death rates within the first year were 32% in group A and 80% in group B. The death rates caused by GDV and GDV related causes only, after one year of follow-up, were 19% and 71% for groups A and B, respectively.

This study shows that treatment that included circumcostal gastropexy significantly reduced the recurrence of GDV and prolonged the postoperative survival time compared with treatment that did not include fixation of the stomach.

Sammendrag

Hensikten med denne prospektive randomiserte kliniske undersøkelsen var å sammenligne to kirurgiske metoder i behandlingen av ventrikkeldilatasjon/torsjon (VDT) hos hund. En gruppe hunder (gruppe A) ble behandlet med fiksering av ventrikkelen (ga-stropeksi) og en gruppe (gruppe B) uten fiksering. I gruppe A var det 21 hunder (Hvorav to “dropouts”) og ι gruppe B var det 10 hunder. Behandlingen av hundene i gruppe A bestod av dekomprimering av ventrikkelen, korrigering av ventrikkelens leie og ga-stropeksi. Hundene i gruppe B fikk samme behandling, uten gastropeksi. Støtteterapien var den samme for begge gruppene. Randomiseringen av hundene i gruppe A og B var vellykket idet det var liten forskjell mellom de to gruppene med henblikk på rase, alder, kjønn og dekomprimeringsmetode i akuttfasen. Da undersøkelsen ble avsluttet (censoring time) var det statistisk signifikant forskjell på gjennomsnittlig overlevelsestid (median) i gruppe A og B, henholdsvis 549 og 107 dager. Det var ingen hunder som fikk residiv i gruppe A, men i gruppe B var det tre hunder (50%) som fikk residiv innen seks måneder. Mortaliteten i løpet av ett år var 32% i gruppe A og 80% i gruppe B. Etter ett års oppfølgingstid var 19% av hundene i gruppe A og 71% av hundene i gruppe B døde som følge av VDT eller VDT-relaterte årsaker. Undersøkelsen viser en signifikant forskjell på behandling som inkluderer “circumcostal” gastropeksi og at den fører til færre residiv og forlenger den postoperative overlevelsestiden sammenlignet med behandling uten gastropeksi.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Central Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Physiology and Nutrition, Norwegian College of Veterinary Medicine for analyzing the blood samples and the Department of Morphology, Genetics and Aquatic Biology for performing the autopsies and our colleagues W. Bredal, S.I. Thoresen, E. Skjerve and I. Skaar for their assistance, constructive criticism and support.

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Correspondence to A.V. Eggertsdóttir.

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Eggertsdóttir, A., Stigen, Ø., Lønaas, L. et al. Comparison of Two Surgical Treatments of Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus in Dogs. Acta Vet Scand 37, 415–426 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03548081

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