Percutaneous aspiration-injection-reaspiration (PAIR) for the treatment of abdominal cysts: Initial report in sheep and goat.

Percutaneous aspiration-injection-reaspiration (PAIR), also called sclerotherapy, is a minimally invasive, inexpensive and safe technique for the treatment of abdominal cysts in humans. A study was planned to evaluate the feasibility of this procedure in the management of abdominal cysts in sheep and goat. Adult ewes (n = 5) and one doe (n = 1) found to have abdominal cysts (one cyst/animal) on repeated survey ultrasonography (USG) were included in the study. The animals were restrained in standing position. A hypodermic needle (G-18) securely attached to a 10-mL Dispovan syringe was carefully passed under ultrasound guidance into the abdominal cyst in all these animals. Depending on the size of the cyst, 1.0-5.5 mL fluid was aspirated, and 0.5-2.0 mL of 20% hypertonic saline solution infused. The needle was thereafter kept in situ for 10 min. The maximum possible volume of the cyst content was reaspirated and the needle withdrawn. On day 7, sclerotherapy was repeated in five animals showing no appreciable reduction in cyst size by USG. USG was repeated on days 30 and 90. All the cysts except one responded to PAIR during this period. From this study it can be concluded that sclerotherapy using hypertonic saline (20%) is a minimally invasive, inexpensive, effective and safe interventional ultrasonographic technique for the treatment of abdominal cysts in sheep and goats. However, the procedure needs further evaluation after using different sclerotic agents of varying concentrations and duration of their retention in the cysts in a sufficient number of animals with cysts.