Ultrasound-guided modified subcostal transversus abdominis plane block and influence of recumbency position on dye spread in equine cadavers.

OBJECTIVE: To describe and evaluate an ultrasound-guided modified subcostal approach for the transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block in horse cadavers in lateral or dorsal recumbency. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, experimental cadaveric study. ANIMALS: Study of one preserved foal and eight fresh adult horse cadavers. METHODS: The lateral and ventral abdominal wall of a preserved cadaver was dissected to identify the muscles and nerves. A unilateral standard TAP block technique was performed (60 mL of methylene blue dye-bupivacaine) on a fresh cadaver in right lateral recumbency. A modified subcostal technique was performed on the opposite side using a linear ultrasound transducer and in-plane approach. Injection points (two 30 mL dye) were at the level of the TAP (between the rectus abdominis and transversus abdominis muscles and ventral to the cutaneous trunci muscle) perpendicular to: 1) the mid-point between the xiphoid cartilage and umbilical scar; and 2) at a point between the caudal and middle thirds of the abdomen measured from the first injection point to the umbilical scar. The modified subcostal approach was performed in seven additional cadavers in both hemiabdomens, with three cadavers in lateral and four cadavers in dorsal recumbency. Ultrasound guidance was used with all injections. RESULTS: The standard approach stained the sixteenth to eighteenth thoracic nerves (T16-T18). The modified subcostal approach performed in lateral recumbency provided greater spread (T9-T17) than dorsal recumbency (T12-T18) (p = 0.016). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The modified subcostal TAP approach resulted in extensive staining exceeding the standard approach. The nerves stained are consistent with production of ventral abdominal wall anesthesia in horses. Clinical studies are needed to verify these findings.

Acrochordonous plaque in a Doberman Pinscher dog.

An 8-yr old, neutered female Doberman Pinscher was presented for dermatological evaluation due to numerous pruritic, non-pigmented nodules that created a plaque in the lumbo-sacral region. This report is the first published photographic record of an acrochordonous plaque in a dolichocephalic dog and is the first reported case in Brazil.

Retinal dysplasia in American pit bull terriers--phenotypic characterization and breeding study.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the inheritance and phenotype of retinal dysplasia (RD) in the American pit bull terrier. ANIMALS STUDIED: A breeding colony established from a single female pure-bred American pit bull terrier dog with RD. PROCEDURES: A female pure-bred American pit bull terrier with RD was donated to the Veterinary Hospital of Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil. A breeding colony was established and the phenotype and inheritance of the condition investigated. Regular ophthalmic examinations and fundus photography were performed on three generations of offspring from the founder animal. Some animals were additionally studied by optical coherence tomography. Ocular histopathology was performed on some animals from the colony. RESULTS: Fifty-seven offspring were produced in two generations from the affected founder female. Thirty-two were diagnosed with RD and showed a spectrum of severity of lesions including multifocal, and or geographic lesions and some developed retinal detachment. Histologic examination demonstrated retinal folds, rosettes, and areas of retinal detachment. The affected dogs were shorter in stature than the unaffected littermates. Breeding studies suggested the trait has an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance. DNA testing showed that the affected dogs were negative for the known gene mutations for canine dwarfism with RD. CONCLUSION: This is a report of a novel inherited form of RD that affects American pit bull terriers.

Infrared ocular thermography in dogs with and without keratoconjunctivitis sicca.

Infrared thermography was used to measure temperature differences of the corneal surface between nasal and temporal limbus regions and central cornea of normal dogs and dogs with keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS), in order to establish temperature values in normal canine eyes and in patients with decreased Schirmer tear tests (STT) values. Dogs investigated were all either patients seen at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of Federal University of Paraná or normal dogs that belonged to the same institution. STT were performed in all eyes. A total of 40 control eyes (STT ≥15 mm/min) and 20 eyes with low STT values (STT ≤14 mm/min) were examined. The mean STT value for eyes with normal STT values was 22.9 ± 3.9 mm/min (mean ± standard deviation), and the mean STT value for eyes with low STT value was 7.2 ± 4.8 mm/min. The mean corneal temperature was significantly lower in eyes with low STT values than in control eyes (P < 0.0001). The following significant correlations were found: (i) Schirmer and breakup time (BUT) (P = 0.0001, r = 0.5); (ii) STT values and corneal surface temperature (P = 0.001, r = 0.256); (iii) STT values and age (P = 0.0001, r = -0.448); (iv) age and corneal surface temperature (P = 0.0001, r = -0.281); and (v) BUT and corneal surface temperature (P = 0.0001, r = 0.36). Thermography is a method that can differentiate between eyes with normal and abnormal STT values. In the future, thermography might be incorporated as part of the ophthalmic examination and perhaps become a popular ancillary test for the diagnoses of ocular surface disorders.

Seroepidemiological survey of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi in horses from a rural and from urban areas of Paraná State, southern Brazil.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the seroepidemiological data of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi in horses from a rural settlement and carthorses from urban areas of Paraná State, southern Brazil. A total of 198 horses, including 32 from the rural settlement and 166 carthorses from Colombo (n=48), Pinhais (n=76), Londrina (n=24), and Curitiba city (n=18) was sampled and tested using a commercial competitive inhibition ELISA (cELISA) test. Out of the 198 horses, 193 (97.5%) were seropositive for at least one piroplasm species. Antibodies to T. equi were detected in 155/198 horses (78.3%), antibodies to B. caballi were detected in 137/198 horses (69.2%), and antibodies to both were detected in 99/198 (50.0%) horses. Horses living in the rural settlement and Colombo were more likely to be seropositive to T. equi than those in Curitiba (p<0.05). Horses older than 5 years were more likely to be seropositive for T. equi than those younger than 5 years (p<0.05). No significant association was found between gender or the presence of ticks and seropositivity to T. equi (p>0.05). In conclusion, the high seroprevalences to B. caballi and T. equi observed in this study emphasize that active surveillance programs are critical for monitoring animal health status, particularly because carthorses may act as urban disseminators of these piroplasms.

Trombectomia com cateter de Fogarty no tratamento da tromboflebite jugular experimental em eqüinos: [revisão] / Thrombectomy with Fogarty's catheter as a treatment of induced jugular thrombophlebitis in horses: [revision]

Trombose da veia jugular é problema freqüente na medicina eqüina, implicando muitas vezes em conseqüências fatais. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar em eqüinos a aplicabilidade da trombectomia com cateter de Fogarty, técnica rotineiramente empregada pela medicina humana, no restabelecimento da perviedade vascular. Foram utilizados 10 eqüinos divididos em dois grupos de cinco animais, em que se induziu a trombose da veia jugular direita, através do acesso cirúrgico à veia e aplicação de sutura estenosante e injeção de glicose a 50%. No grupo controle avaliou-se a evolução da tromboflebite sem qualquer tipo de intervenção terapêutica. Os animais do grupo tratado foram submetidos à trombectomia com cateter de Fogarty. Foram avaliados os parâmetros clínicos gerais, regionais, ultra-sonográficos e angiográficos, nos momentos pré-indução (M-PRÉ), indução da trombose (MTI) e 10 dias de evolução da trombose (M10). A técnica empregada induziu a tromboflebite, que obstruiu completamente um segmento da veia jugular de todos os animais. Os animais do grupo controle mantiveram os trombos obstruindo totalmente o lume vascular até o final do período de avaliação, sendo que avaliações regionais mostraram principalmente o edema parotídeo e o ingurgitamento vascular, cranial à tromboflebite da veia jugular. O grupo tratado apresentou as veias jugulares pérvias ao final do experimento, confirmadas pelos exames ultra-sonográficos e angiográficos, com remissão total dos sinais clínicos. Concluiu-se que a técnica da trombectomia com cateter de Fogarty foi eficiente na desobstrução da veia jugular submetida à trombose experimental.

Thrombosis of jugular vein is a common problem in the equine medicine, implying frequently in fatal outcomes. The diagnosis is relatively simple, based on the clinical findings, angiographics images and ultrasonographycs. The therapeutic employed to a large extent of the cases is unsatisfactory. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the applicability of the thrombectomy with Fogarty's catheter in horses. This technique is routinely used in medicine, in the reestablishment of the vascular perviousness. Ten horses were allocated in two groups (five animals each) and induced to an unilateral thrombosis of right jugular vein, through the surgical access and an application of stenotic suture and glucose 50% injection. In the control group evolution of the thrombophlebitis without any therapeutical intervention was evaluated. The animals of the treatment group were submitted to the thrombectomy with Fogarty's catheter. General clinical parameters were analyzed at the moment of the preinduction (MPRE), induction of thrombosis (MTI), and at the 10th day of thrombosis evolution (M10). The procedure induced thrombophlebitis that completely obstructed a segment of the jugular vein in all animals. In the animals of the control group, the thrombus totally obstructed the vascular lumen until the end of the period of evaluation, and parotid edema and vascular dilated, cranial to the thrombophlebitis of jugular vein were observed. The treatment group presented all veins pervious in the end of the experiment, with total remission of the clinical signs, confirmed by angiographic and ultrasonographic examinations. So far, it was concluded that the technique of thrombectomy with Fogarty's catheter was effective in removal of the thrombosis obstruction experimentally induced in the jugular vein.