Abstract
A 4-month-old female Chihuahua was referred to our hospital for investigation of underdevelopment, ascites, and hyperammonemia. Ultrasonography with color Doppler imaging and nonselective arteriography showed a hepatic arteriovenous fistula with multiple acquired portosystemic shunts (MAPSS). A lobectomy of several hepatic lobes, including hepatic arteriovenous fistula, and attenuation of some MAPSS were performed after administering medical treatment for 7 days. After the operation, the general condition improved, but hyperammonemia and mild hepatic failure findings persisted. Hence, the medical treatment for hyperammonemia was continued. Subsequent reoperations for to further attenuateion of MAPSS were performed 48 days after the surgery. Considerable improvement in hyperammonemia and hepatic failure was noted after the second surgery. A liver biopsy performed 18 months after the primary operation showed the disappearance of the histopathological abnormality.
