Surgical treatment of intra-abdominal vaginal cyst severely adhered to associated organs in a dog

Abstract

A twelve-year-old female Shih Tzu was presented for investigation and treatment of a vaginal mass. Partial resection, intracavitary fluid drainage and mucosal lining curettage had been made in the previous laparotomy. Computed tomography (CT) and perioperative gross appearance revealed a large vaginal cyst extended into the pelvic canal that was adhering to the bladder trigone, both ureters, the urethra and the descending colon. The mass was resected completely. The dog recovered uneventfully. To the author’s knowledge, this is the first report of a canine intra-abdominal vaginal mass that was preoperatively evaluated using CT and the histological result was most consistent with the Müllerian cyst. This report was also highlighted with intra-pelvic extension and severe adhesion consequences from previous surgeries, making the current surgical treatment much more complicated.