Gores B R, Berg J, Carpenter J L, Ullman S L
Department of Surgery, Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, North Grafton, MA 01536.
J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1994 Oct 15;205(8):1161-4.
Medical records of 9 cats with chylous ascites that underwent exploratory celiotomy were reviewed. In 7 cats, chylous ascites was associated with intra-abdominal neoplasia: 4 cats had an unresectable tumor (hemangiosarcoma, 3 cats; paraganglioma, 1 cat) within the mesenteric root; 2 had malignant lymphoma of the small intestine and mesenteric lymph nodes; and 1 had lymphangiosarcoma of the abdominal wall. In 2 cats, chylous ascites was associated with nonneoplastic diseases: 1 cat had severe biliary cirrhosis and an extrahepatic portosystemic shunt; the other had steatitis caused by vitamin E deficiency. Three cats were euthanatized or died at the time of surgery, and 5 cats were euthanatized within 3 months of surgery. One cat with malignant lymphoma responded well to chemotherapy and lived for 14 months after surgery.
