Presentation
Presewith difficulty swallowing and generalized weakness.
Patient Data
The esophagus is diffusely dilated with gas. There is an alveolar pattern in both subsegments of the left cranial lung lobe, as well as in the right middle lung lobes. Air bronchograms are visible in these regions. The megaesophagus has resulted in aspiration pneumonia.
Case Discussion
The generalized weakness was suspected to be causing megaesophagus with a diffuse neuromuscular cause. A cause for this was not identified, but the dog improved in strength and the pneumonia resolved with antibiotic treatment.
Megaesophagus allows food to remain in the esophagus and reflux into the airways to cause aspiration pneumonia. There may also have been a component of laryngeal dysfunction that allowed food into the airways with swallowing.
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