>From:    Julie Rathsack <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Adrenal Gland Surgery - Follow-up (abnormality)
>
>She had her surgery on Monday.  From what I understand, they freeze the
>adrenal gland to stop it from working.  Dr. Koffman discovered that
>Snowball has an abnormality.  One of the ventricles from her heart wraps
>around the adrenal gland.  Now it's nothing life threatening, but it made
>her uncomfortable with freezing the entire gland, in fear that if there
>was the slightest slip, it could freeze part of her heart, killing her
>instantly.  As a result, only 2/3rds of the gland were put out of
>commission.  She equated it with a sponge.  If you cut 2/3rds off a
>sponge, it would still work, but it would only work 1/3 as well.  She
>said that two years ago, when vets cut the adrenal gland out, they were
>only able to remove 2/3rds .  She said if it didn't work, we'd talk about
>what to do from there.
 
Something is goofy about that.  The heart is in the chest.  The adrenal
gland is in the abdomen.  I don't believe it's possible for a ventricle to
wrap around anything, much less an adrenal gland.  On the other hand, if
your vet said that the adrenal was involved with the vena cava, the major
vein in the abdomen, then that is rather common and is why the freezing
technique was developed.  The warm blood flowing thru the vena cava keeps
it from freezing, so you can freeze the whole adrenal gland.
 
--
Russ, Booger, Bonnie & Clyde
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URA Redneck if you buy a color-coordinated rope to tie down your hood.
[Posted in FML issue 3668]