Tracheal Collapse in a Dog

An 8-year-old neutered male Yorkshire terrier is presented for respiratory distress. The patient had been exhibiting a loud, progressive, honking cough for 18 months before presentation. The owners had attempted nebulization and coupage at home without improvement. Physical examination reveals a distressed patient with a respiratory rate of 60 breaths/min, loud upper airway stridor and stertor, and coughing. Temperature is 103.9F (39.9C), heart rate is 160 bpm, and mucous membranes are a muddy/cyanotic color. Oxygen is administered, and the patient improves enough for lateral radiography; radiographs reveal a grade III to IV tracheal collapse at the thoracic inlet and a mild interstitial pattern, most prominent in the caudodorsal region of the lungs (Figure 1).

FIGURE 1

Radiograph showing grade III to grade IV tracheal collapse and a mild interstitial pattern

TRACHEAL STENTING

Patients that are severely affected, are refractory to medical management alone, or have life-threatening airway obstruction often benefit from placement of a self-expanding intraluminal tracheal stent (Figure 2). Most patients improve substantially, and survival rates are high; however, most patients require continued medical management.

FIGURE 2 Radiograph of a patient with tracheal collapse treated with a fully deployed intraluminal tracheal stent