Comparison of short-term complication rates between dogs and cats undergoing appositional single-layer or inverting double-layer cystotomy closure: 144 cases (1993-2010).

Objective: To compare short-term complication rates in dogs and cats undergoing cystotomy closure by use of an inverting double-layer pattern (group I) versus cystotomy closure by use of an appositional single-layer pattern (group A).

Design: Retrospective case series.

Animals: 144 client-owned dogs and cats that underwent cystotomy between 1993 and 2010.

Excision of a congenital laryngeal cyst in a five-month-old dog via a lateral extraluminal approach.

Case Description: A 5-month-old neutered male Golden Retriever was evaluated because of moderate stridor, exercise intolerance, and dyspnea. The dog had been neutered 3 weeks previously, and the referring veterinarian identified a large fluid-filled swelling on the left lateral aspect of the larynx during anesthetic intubation for that surgery. The referring veterinarian drained fluid from the mass by use of needle centesis via the oral cavity, which resulted in temporary improvement in clinical signs; however, the clinical signs returned soon thereafter.