Palliative Use of a Self-expanding (nitinol) Stent for Rectal Obstruction Caused by Adenocarcinoma in a Dog

Abstract

A 7-year-old male Pekingese was referred to the Minami Animal Hospital for difficulty defecating. A rectal examination revealed an annular colorectal mass in the pelvic canal. Computed tomography revealed the mass infiltrating the surrounding tissue, which was diagnosed as adenocarcinoma based on the histopathological findings. Because surgical resection of the mass was considered difficult, we placed a rectal stent to palliate the clinical signs associated with colorectal obstruction. The day after the stent placement, the dyschezia dramatically improved with minimal complications. The dog died suddenly, 40 days after the stent placement (Day 72) from unknown causes. In this case, the use of self-expanding metallic stent for palliation of colorectal obstruction appeared to be effective.