Clinicians from the UK have assisted colleagues in Ireland to help perform surgery on two dogs with intrahepatic portosystemic shunts (IHPSS).

Gerard McLauchlan, from AURA Veterinary, and Alex Horton, consultant interventional radiologist at Royal Surrey County Hospital, travelled to Veterinary Specialists Ireland (VSI).

There, they assisted Laura Cuddy, RCVS specialist in surgery and American and European specialist in sports medicine and rehabilitation, and Poppy Bristol, European and RCVS specialist in surgery, who had reached out to the AURA team because of its experience in IHPSS cases.

Stent placement

Both patients underwent a successful percutaneous transjugular coil embolisation (PTCE), which involves placing a stent in the caudal vena cava and deploying multiple thromobogenic coils within the shunting vessel while monitoring pressures.

Over the following weeks, the coils result in shunt closure, and due to the minimally invasive technique patients can be discharged with no restrictions on exercise.

‘Reached out’

Dr McLauchlan said: “It was great that Poppy and Laura reached out to us and we were delighted to help with these cases and train the team at VSI in the technique.

“Poppy and I have known each other for a while and worked together on previous cases here at AURA Veterinary. We have now performed 35 PTCE procedures in dogs from all over the UK and Europe.”

AURA Veterinary is located on the Surrey Research Park next to the Royal Surrey County Hospital, the University of Surrey veterinary school and multiple other institutions, providing opportunities for medical collaborations.