Dogs and cats with prepubic hernia often have concurrent injuries and a good short-term outcome.

Abstract

Objective: To describe clinical presentation, concurrent injuries, common imaging findings, and short-term outcome of dogs and cats diagnosed with prepubic hernia (PPH).

Animals: 71 dogs and 16 cats.

Clinical presentation: Medical records were searched at 2 academic referral institutions from August 1, 2008, to August 31, 2023, for dogs and cats diagnosed with PPH. Information regarding patient signalment, imaging, treatment(s) performed, and outcome was recorded. All imaging was reviewed by a board-certified radiologist.

Results: The majority of animals (77.5% of dogs, 87.5% of cats) presented within 24 hours of injury, most commonly secondary to vehicular trauma. Common concurrent injuries included pubic fractures (76.1% of dogs, 62.5% of cats), sacroiliac luxation (56.3% of dogs, 68.8% of cats), neurologic deficits (50.7% of dogs, 25% of cats), organ herniation (49.3% of dogs, 37.5% of cats), and urinary tract trauma (12.7% of dogs, 12.5% of cats). Most animals were diagnosed with radiographs (60.5% of dogs, 62.5% of cats), with the lateral projection proving most useful. Surgical treatment was pursued in 35 dogs and 7 cats, with muscular apposition being most common in dogs (54.3%) and use of pubic bone tunnels most common in cats (57.1%). Complications were uncommon, and PPH repair failure was reported in only 1 dog. Short-term outcome was good in both dogs and cats.

Clinical relevance: Prepubic hernia should be suspected in patients that have sustained high-impact trauma and typically can be identified on lateral radiographs. For cases without organ herniation, conservative management may be a reasonable option.