Outcomes of dogs treated for extrahepatic congenital portosystemic shunts with thin film banding or ameroid ring constrictor.

Objective: To compare the outcomes of dogs treated at a single institution for single extrahepatic congenital portosystemic shunts (CPSS) by thin film banding (TFB) or by placement of an ameroid constrictor (AC).

Study Design: Retrospective case series.

Animals: Seventy-six client-owned dogs with CPSS treated with TFB (n = 53) or AC (n = 23).

Hyperammonemia and systemic inflammatory response syndrome predicts presence of hepatic encephalopathy in dogs with congenital portosystemic shunts.

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with liver disease. The pathogenesis of he is incompletely understood although ammonia and inflammatory cytokines have been implicated as key mediators. To facilitate further mechanistic understanding of the pathogenesis of HE, a large number of animal models have been developed which often involve the surgical creation of an anastomosis between the hepatic portal vein and the caudal vena cava.