Ultrasound criteria and guided fine-needle aspiration diagnostic yields in small animal peritoneal, mesenteric and omental disease.

Peritoneal, mesenteric, and omental diseases are important causes of morbidity and mortality in humans and animals, although information in the veterinary literature is limited. The purposes of this retrospective study were to determine whether objectively applied ultrasound interpretive criteria are statistically useful in differentiating among cytologically defined normal, inflammatory, and neoplastic peritoneal conditions in dogs and cats. A second goal was to determine the cytologically interpretable yield on ultrasound-guided, fine-needle sampling of peritoneal, mesenteric, or omental structures. Sonographic criteria agreed upon by the authors were retrospectively and independently applied by two radiologists to the available ultrasound images without knowledge of the cytologic diagnosis and statistically compared to the ultrasound-guided, fine-needle aspiration cytologic interpretations. A total of 72 dogs and 49 cats with abdominal peritoneal, mesenteric, or omental (peritoneal) surface or effusive disease and 17 dogs and 3 cats with no cytologic evidence of inflammation or neoplasia were included. The optimized, ultrasound criteria-based statistical model created independently for each radiologist yielded an equation-based diagnostic category placement accuracy of 63.2-69.9% across the two involved radiologists. Regional organ-associated masses or nodules as well as aggregated bowel and peritoneal thickening were more associated with peritoneal neoplasia whereas localized, severely complex fluid collections were more associated with inflammatory peritoneal disease. The cytologically interpretable yield for ultrasound-guided fine-needle sampling was 72.3% with no difference between species, making this a worthwhile clinical procedure.

Nasal rhinosporidiosis in two dogs native to the upper Mississippi river valley region.

Two dogs, 4 and 7 years of age, were presented for evaluation and treatment of excessive sneezing. Physical examinations in both cases were within acceptable limits except for the presence of a single mass in the left nasal passage in the first case and left-sided nasal discharge in the second case. Rhinoscopy was used to visualize the nasal masses, and in both cases a single mass was surgically removed. Impression smears and histopathology submitted from each mass revealed lymphoplasmacytic and neutrophilic inflammation with spores typical of Rhinosporidium seeberi. These are the first reported cases of nasal rhinosporidiosis in two dogs native to the Upper Mississippi River Valley area with no travel history outside the region.

Acupuncture treatment for feline multifocal intervertebral disc disease.

A 14-year-old male neutered domestic shorthair cat was admitted to the Veterinary Medical Center, University of Minnesota for evaluation of severe hind limb ataxia, atrophy and paresis. Diagnosis based on physical examination, neurological assessment and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was multifocal intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) with dorsal disc protrusion throughout the thoracic and cranial lumbar spine. The Oriental Medicine (OM) diagnosis (pattern identification) was painful obstruction (Bi) syndrome caused by phlegm-heat accumulation with blood stagnation in the spine. High dose prednisolone therapy (1.25mg/kg PO, once daily) initially did not show any significant improvement in clinical signs. The cat was then treated with several modes of acupuncture treatment including dry needle acupuncture, electro-acupuncture and scalp acupuncture along with Tui-Na (hand manipulation in OM) and physical therapy. Significant improvements in mobility, proprioception and spinal posture were noticed and the cat was able to rise, walk and run 4 months after starting acupuncture treatments. This is the first case report of feline IVDD with multiple sites of disc compression which was successfully treated with several modes of acupuncture treatment.