• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.36-40
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• 2013

Caval syndrome is a life threatening condition caused by heavy worm burden in right cardiac chambers including right atrium, right ventricle, and vena cava and results in mechanical interference in tricuspid valvular excursion and blood flow to lower pulmonary arteries. A mechanical worm removal is the choice of option for treating this condition in dogs. In this study, we developed a new mechanical worm removal method using modified extraction brushes for treating dogs with caval syndrome. With this newly developed method, we successfully removed heartworms in two dogs with caval syndrome. Although the number of cases applied was small, authors found this method can be a good alternative retrieval method for mechanical worm removal in dogs.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.412-416
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• 2014

A 7-year-old intact male Pitbull terrier dog was presented with complaints of marked abdominal distension and severe exercise intolerance. Diagnostic studies found a right-sided cardiomegaly with marked dilation of pulmonary arteries, diffuse interstitial pulmonary infiltration and heavy worm burden in the right atrium and ventricle. Color and spectral Doppler echocardiography also revealed tricuspid and pulmonic regurgitation indicating severe pulmonary hypertension. The 104 heartworms were removed by interventional extraction using a loop snare (Snare, Boston Scientific, USA) through external jugular vein. After heartworm removals, the clinical condition of this dog was remarkably improved. To author's best knowledge, this is the first case of interventional heartworm extraction using a loop snare in Korea.