Heartworm extraction in a pitbull terrier dog with heavy worm burden using a loop snare

초록

A 7-year-old intact male Pitbull terrier dog was presented with complaints of marked abdominal distension and severe exercise intolerance. Diagnostic studies found a right-sided cardiomegaly with marked dilation of pulmonary arteries, diffuse interstitial pulmonary infiltration and heavy worm burden in the right atrium and ventricle. Color and spectral Doppler echocardiography also revealed tricuspid and pulmonic regurgitation indicating severe pulmonary hypertension. The 104 heartworms were removed by interventional extraction using a loop snare (Snare, Boston Scientific, USA) through external jugular vein. After heartworm removals, the clinical condition of this dog was remarkably improved. To author’s best knowledge, this is the first case of interventional heartworm extraction using a loop snare in Korea. © 2014, Korean Society of Veterinary Clinics. All rights reserved.

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