Dystocia in a cat due to an ectopic artery

Abstract

DYSTOCIA in cats occurs in 3.3 to 5.8 per cent of all parturitions (Pretzer 2008) and is an important cause of stillbirth and early neonatal death (Gunn-Moore and Thrusfield 1995). Dystocia may be caused by maternal or fetal factors or, in some cases, a combination of both. Maternal factors include small pelvic size, abnormalities of the caudal reproductive tract, primary or secondary uterine inertia, malnutrition, parasitism, other abnormalities of the uterus and abnormal expulsion due to non-uterine causes (Pretzer 2008). This short communication describes an unusual case of dystocia in a queen due to an ectopic artery over the uterus.An eight-year-old, primiparous female domestic shorthair cat weighing 3.9 kg was referred to a veterinary teaching hospital 64 days after mating, after being in labour for more than 10 hours. During this period, strong abdominal contractions were observed without fetal delivery.On physical examination, four fetuses were identified by abdominal palpation. Abdominal ultrasonography was performed to assess intrauterine fetal viability and the presence of dead fetuses was verified. The decision was made to perform an immediate ovariohysterectomy.Under general anaesthesia, a ventral midline abdominal incision was performed. Inspection of the caudal abdomen showed an ectopic artery making an arc over the caudal part of the right uterine horn (Fig 1).The artery caused a stricture of the distal aspect of the right horn preventing the fetuses from entering the birth canal. The vascular ring precluded exteriorisation of the uterine body and cervix. The ectopic artery was an aortic branch; it entered the pelvic region and its path was not followed. Uterine vessel anomalies were not observed. There were two fetuses in each uterine horn.An ovariohysterectomy was performed using a modified technique: the right uterine horn and the right ovary were removed first to preserve the ectopic artery. Next, the left ovary, left horn and uterine body were removed and the incision was closed routinely. The cat had a good recovery, was discharged the next day and had not reported complications five years later.In queens, surgical intervention is required in approximately 60 to 80 per cent of dystocia cases (Traas 2008). Had the fetuses been alive in this case, a caesarean section using a separate incision for each uterine horn might have been considered. In the present case, surgery was essential to preserve the cat's life.To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of dystocia caused by an ectopic artery obstructing the uterus. Other obstructive causes of dystocia in cats include uterine prolapse, uterine torsion, uterine rupture and narrowness of the birth canal (Appleyard and Shelley 1975, Biller and Haibel 1987, Ekstrand and Linde-Forsberg 1994, Robbins and Mullen 1994, Gunn-Moore and Thrusfield 1995. Some anatomical uterine abnormalities found in non-pregnant cats include segmental aplasia of the uterine horn (Marcella and others 1985, Memon and Schelling 1992, Goo and others 2009), completely...

Causes and Treatment of Feline Dystocia

“…The definition of a successful Caesarean section includes all producers dealing with the operation, including anesthesia, fluid therapy, time from the beginning of clinical labor signs, animal body condition, and personal experience and post-operative care; all these factors determine success or reduce prognosis expectation Caesarean section (Trass, 2008). The complication with parturition in queen which may interfere with normal delivery reported in previous studies like ovariohysterectomy (Talukder et al, 2021), uterine prolapse (Ucmak et al, 2018), uterine torsion (Sahoo et al, 2018), and dystocia due to ectopic artery (Stedile et al, 2011).…”

“…Dystocia in cat (queen) is defined as difficulty in the exploding of the fetus or delivery of the kitten through the birth canal at the time (6-12 hours) of labor (Dar et al, 2015). The causes of dystocia are classified into those caused by maternal, those caused by fetal, and in some cases combination between them (Gunn-Moor and Thrusfield, 1995; Stedile et al, 2011). Not enough research has been published on the incidences of dystocia in cats (Felis catus) has been conducted.…”

Displasia renal em um cão

“…Na urinálise, verificou-se proteinúria, como descrito por alguns autores [3,7], embora a ausência de proteína também seja um dado relatado [2]. A isostenúria é um achado concordante da bibliografia [2,3,7,11].…”

“…A urinálise demonstra densidade urinária baixa e proteinúria ausente [2,4]. A ultrassonografia constata rins pequenos, hiperecogenicidade e perda do limite córtico-medular [4,5,7,11]. O diagnóstico definitivo é realizado pelo exame histopatológico do tecido renal através de biópsia em cunha ou necropsia [1,2,10].…”

Caesarean section followed by ovariohysterectomy in a Bangladeshi domestic cat: A surgical intervention for management of dystocia due to partial primary uterine inertia

“…To the best of our knowledge, there have been no reports on dystocia and its management in Bangladeshi domestic cats. Dystocia in the cat may be caused by fetal or maternal factors or, in some cases, a combination of both (Stedile et al., 2011). Altogether, 67.1% of cases have been attributed to maternal factors, and 29.7% to fetal factors (Ekstrand & Linde‐Forsberg, 1994; Jackson, 2004).…”