Non‐coagulopathic hemothorax in a dog: A case report

Abstract

An 8‐year‐old, female‐spayed, Blue Heeler presented with suspected non‐coagulopathic spontaneous, hemothorax with neoplasia as the most likely differential as coagulation parameters were normal and no obvious history of trauma was reported. Computed tomography scan was crucial for diagnosis of a traumatic partial vascular avulsion injury that was successfully managed supportively.

Presumptive Spontaneous Hemothorax Associated to Thymic Involution in a Dog with Steroid Responsive Meningitis-Arteritis (SRMA)

“…A variety of etiologies have been documented, with neoplasia being one of the most frequent etiologies. 2,7 Lung lobe torsion, 1 pulmonary thromboembolism, 8 diaphragmatic hernia, 1 pancreatitis, 2,3 infectious diseases, 2,3 spontaneous vascular rupture 1,9 and thymic hemorrhage/involution [1][2][3] have also been reported as the cause.…”

“…Infectious diseases associated with spontaneous non-coagulopathic hemothorax reported in the literature include spirocercosis 3 , dirofilariasis 2,3,11 , and streptococcosis 2,3 . Infection by Dirofilaria immitis was ruled out using a Snap 4Dx test.…”

“…Reported cases of Streptococcus equi bronchopneumonia are associated with hemothorax. 3 The absence of other clinical findings consistent with Streptococcus equi and improvement without antibiotic treatment makes this diagnosis a very unlikely cause of hemothorax.…”

“…Topics in Companion Animal Medicine journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/tcam https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tcam.2024.100863 literature, case reports have documented its association with conditions such as dirofilariasis, spirocercosis, angiostrongylosis, intrathoracic tumors, diaphragmatic hernia, and pulmonary thromboembolism, among others. [1][2][3] On rare occasions, non-coagulopathic spontaneous hemothorax has been associated with vascular pathologies or spontaneous rupture of intrathoracic masses or tissues, such as the thymus. 4,5 However, thymic hemorrhage is often diagnosed during postmortem examination due to its high fatality rate 4,6 In young dogs, this condition typically occurs in association with thymic involution, which leads to increased fragility of the vascular bed and a lack of support from adjacent fibro-adipose tissue.…”