Treatment of presumptive primary immune-mediated thrombocytopenia with mycophenolate mofetil versus cyclosporine in dogs.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to compare hospitalisation duration, survival times, adverse events and cost of therapy in dogs with presumptive primary immune-mediated thrombocytopenia undergoing therapy with mycophenolate mofetil and corticosteroids versus cyclosporine and corticosteroids. METHODS: A retrospective study of medical case records of dogs with presumed primary immune-mediated thrombocytopenia was conducted. Data collected included signalment, presenting complaints, haematologic and biochemical profiles, vector-borne disease testing, thoracic and abdominal radiographs, abdominal ultrasound, medications administered, duration of hospitalisation, 30- and 60-day survival, adverse events and cost of therapy. Variables were compared between dogs treated solely with mycophenolate mofetil and corticosteroids or cyclosporine and corticosteroids. RESULTS: A total of 55 dogs with primary immune-mediated thrombocytopenia were identified. Eighteen were excluded because multiple immunosuppressive medications were used during treatment. Hospitalisation times, 30-day survival and 60-day survival times were similar between both groups. Dogs in the mycophenolate mofetil/corticosteroid group experienced fewer adverse events than the cyclosporine/corticosteroid group. Therapy with mycophenolate mofetil was less expensive than that with cyclosporine. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: These results suggest that using the combination of mycophenolate mofetil and corticosteroids appears to be as effective as cyclosporine and corticosteroids in the treatment of presumed primary immune-mediated thrombocytopenia in dogs. Adverse events were less common and cost of therapy was lower in the mycophenolate mofetil group. Additional larger prospective, controlled, double-masked, outcome-based, multi-institutional studies are required to substantiate these preliminary findings.

Cranial mediastinal carcinomas in nine dogs.

Nine dogs were diagnosed with cranial mediastinal carcinomas. Based on histological and immunohistochemical analysis, four dogs were diagnosed with ectopic follicular cell thyroid carcinomas, one dog with ectopic medullary cell thyroid carcinoma, two dogs with neuroendocrine carcinomas and two dogs with anaplastic carcinomas. Clinical signs and physical examination findings were associated with a space-occupying mass, although one dog was diagnosed with functional hyperthyroidism. Surgical resection was attempted in eight dogs. The cranial mediastinal mass was invasive either into the heart or into the cranial vena cava in three dogs. Resection was complete in six dogs and unresectable in two dogs. All dogs survived surgery, but four dogs developed pulmonary thromboembolism and two dogs died of respiratory complications postoperatively. Adjunctive therapies included pre-operative radiation therapy (n=1) and postoperative chemotherapy (n=3). Three dogs had metastasis at the time of diagnosis, but none developed metastasis following surgery. The overall median survival time was 243 days. Local invasion, pleural effusion and metastasis did not have a negative impact on survival time in this small case series.

Pneumonectomy: four case studies and a comparative review.

Pneumonectomy is the resection of all lung lobes in either the left or right lung field. The surgical technique and postoperative results of pneumonectomy for clinical disease have not been reported in companion animals. Pneumonectomy was performed in three dogs and one cat to treat pulmonary or pleural disease, and the postoperative outcome compared with the complications and results reported in the human literature. One dog died immediately postoperatively due to suspected respiratory insufficiency and the remaining three animals survived the perioperative period. Postoperative complications were reported in two animals. Cardiac complications occurred in the cat, with perioperative arrhythmias and progressive congestive heart failure. Gastrointestinal complications were diagnosed in one dog, with mediastinal shift and oesophageal dysfunction. Left- and right-sided pneumonectomy is feasible in companion animals, and the postoperative outcome and complications encountered in this series were similar to those reported in humans.