esophageal DISORDERS OF CHINESE SHAR-PEIS
Shar-peis have a high incidence of disorders of the GI tract. These include abnormal esophageal motility, hiatal hernias, inflammatory bowel disease, and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.
Detailed radiographic studies on shar-peis have shown that either segmental or generalized esophageal hypomotility and esophageal redundancy are commonly present. These signs are not uncommon in clinically normal shar-peis, so they may represent incidental findings in many cases. In one study 29 puppies were evaluated over 15 months, beginning when they were 3 months old. Of this group 69% had relatively slow stimulation of secondary waves of esophageal contraction, 48% had generalized poor esophageal tone or motility, and 38% had esophageal redundancy. Esophageal redundancy appeared as a prominent ventral deviation of the esophagus in the cranial portion of the mediastinum. Sequential studies revealed apparent improvement with age in clinically normal puppies in which slow motility, in the absence of redundancy, was recognized on initial studies done at a young age. This study also evaluated nine shar-pei puppies with histories of either vomiting or regurgitation. Five of the nine puppies had a hiatal hernia, and two had megaesophagus.
These findings indicate that shar-peis with signs consistent with upper GI dysfunction (e.g., regurgitation, dysphagia, salivation, vomiting) should be thoroughly evaluated for anatomic abnormalities early in the course of the development of clinical signs, rather than receiving conservative symptomatic therapy for more than several days to a few weeks. Initial diagnostic evaluation should include survey radiographs of the neck and thorax. If megaesophagus is present, there is little need to perform contrast studies. If megaesophagus is not readily apparent, one should perform barium swallows, looking for evidence of esophageal hypomotility and hiatal hernia.
As previously described, it may be useful to apply abdominal pressure in order to enhance movement of the stomach into the thorax so that a hernia can be identified on spot films. Barium meals are used to evaluate esophageal motility further. If available either in-house or on a referral basis, fluoroscopic studies are recommended. Endoscopy also should be performed to evaluate for esophagitis, to detect evidence of esophageal motility (pooling of fluid in the esophagus), and to assess the appearance of the GEJ area and the stomach.References
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