Surgical affections of thorax
Surgical affections of thorax in animals are fracture of ribs, pneumothorax, thoracic tumor and thoracotomy is the open thorax surgery to correct these affections.
Surgical affections of thorax are-
Fracture of Ribs
Rib fractures are found inconjunction with other fractures (legs, pelvis,spine) and are a result of trauma (motor vehicleaccident).
Trauma to the chest wall can be associated with severe respiratory (breathing) difficulty.
Dogs can have”pulmonary contusion” , “pneumothorax” , and “flail chest”.
Compound fractures can cause costal fistula.
Diagnosis
- Clinical examination
- X-ray of the thorax helps to evaluate the lung injuries too
Treatment
Costal fistula can be treated by resection of the affected rib.
Pneumothorax
Pneumothorax is the abnormal presence of air within the thoracic cavity, which restricts the lungs from inflating normally during inhalation.
Clinical Signs
- Exercise intolerance
- Laboured breathing
- Increase in the respiratory rate
- Cyanotic tongue
- Thoracic radiographs (X-rays) to look for the presence of air in the thoracic cavity
- Arterial blood gas
- Pulse oximetry
Treatment
Thoracentesis, which is removal of air from the chest cavity with a needle and syringe.
Treatment of concurrent fractures and soft-tissue injuries.
Most rib fractures are managed without any treatment.
Occasionally, the individual fractures may be surgically repaired with pins and/or wires.
When multiple rib fractures are present, leading to a “flail chest,” the freely moving section of the chest wall usually must be stabilized by attaching the ribs within the free segment to a large splint placed on the surface of the skin. The ribs are attached to the splint with suture material placed through the splint and around each rib.
Thoracic tumor
An intrathoracic mass is a tumor located within the chest cavity. Most commonly an intrathoracic mass is associated with the lungs, but can also involve tumors of the lymph nodes in the chest, the thymus, or even the heart.
Thoracic radiographs usually provide information about osteolysis, intra and extra thoracic soft tissue masses and mineralization of ribs affected with sarcomas. Malignant neoplasms can be removed by en bloc resection.
Affection of ribs in small animals
Fracture of ribs, missing ribs, fused ribs, extra ribs and malformed ribs may occur in small animals. Surgical correction is not indicated unless the deformity results in restricted ventilation or paradoxical movement of the chest wall.
Severe kyphoscoliosis usually results in malformation of the thoracic cavity. Surgical correction is not recommended generally.
Metabolic bone diseases such as hyperparathyroidism, hypervitaminosis D, and multiple cartilaginous exostosis are occasionally manifested in bony thorax.
Rib neoplasms are usually primary and malignant. Osteosarcoma is the most common one. Chondrosarcoma is the second most common.
Thoracotomy
Thoracotomy in animals is the surgical incision of the chest wall to enter the thoracic cavity of animals. it is a important surgical procedure.