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Stanley the bulldog. (Eastcott Veterinary Referrals via SWNS)
By Athena Stavrou via SWNS
A poor dog has been saved with a pioneering operation – to fit a stent to his bad heart.
Stanley, a nine-year-old bulldog cross-breed, was getting a scan for a separate hip issue when vets discovered a heart base tumor.
A specialist cardiology team at Easctott Veterinary Referrals in Swindon, Wiltshire carried out a rare procedure to save him.
The minimally invasive surgery gave access to Stanley’s heart via a large vein in his neck.
It allowed the team to implant a stent to relieve the pressure being caused by the tumor.
Stanley was released just 24 hours later and has since made a strong recovery from the keyhole surgery.
CT scan of Stanley’s body showed a heart-based tumor. (Eastcott Veterinary Referrals via SWNS)
His owner, Kay Webb, from Witney, Oxfordshire, said: “Stanley had a mass on his heart and this was restricting the flow of blood to his organs.
“They recommended inserting a stent to ease the congestion. We were obviously worried but hoped it would give him a better quality of life.
“Stanley is now back home following the operation and he’s very happy to continue his favorite pastime of sleeping, together with playing games, doing training exercises, and enjoying local walks.”
Kieran Borgeat is the clinical director at Eastcott and an American, European and RCVS Specialist in veterinary cardiology.
Fluoroscopy images of Stanley’s operation. (Eastcott Veterinary Referrals via SWNS)
She said: “Eastcott’s cardiology team planned this keyhole surgery to relieve the compression of Stanley’s blood vessels, in order to improve Stanley’s cardiac output and prevent him from developing signs of liver congestion and heart failure.
“For this to be done, Stanley’s heart was accessed using specialized catheters and wires through the jugular vein in his neck, while the procedure was guided by fluoroscopy.
“We deployed a stent which would lift the tumor up and open the blood vessel from within the vessel itself.
“We are pleased that the trans-atrial stent was successfully deployed and normal blood flow was restored.
“Stanley was able to go home the following day even though it was complex operation.
“This highlights one of the huge benefits of minimally invasive surgery – a low level of risk and predictable, rapid recovery for most patients.”
“It’s great to see Stanley recover so well, returning to normal exercise and activity levels.”
