JAAHA: Mechanical thrombectomy using a stent-retriever thrombectomy device

A thrombus, or blood clot, within the blood vessels can cause many problems in humans and other animals. When a thrombus breaks loose from where it initially formed and travels through the aorta, it proceeds down an artery and can become lodged in a different location. This is known as an aortic thromboembolism, and in dogs, acute cases often present as sudden hind limb paralysis.

The prognosis for acute aortic thromboembolism is generally poor. Treatment usually includes medical management with antiplatelet and anticoagulant medications. But, one team of veterinarians decided to take a page from human medicine and attempted to use a mechanical stent-retriever device to physically remove the clot from the dog’s artery. While common practice in human medicine, this approach has not been documented in dogs—until now.

Was the team successful? Read the details of this groundbreaking procedure in the article, “Mechanical Thrombectomy of Acute Aortic Thromboembolism Using Stent-Retriever Thrombectomy Device in a Dog“ in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association (JAAHA).

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Photo credit: © JAAHA. Caption: Dark red thromboembolic material was captured within the stent-retriever device.

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