Prediction of Parturition Time in Queens using Radiography and Ultrasonography.

This study investigated the prediction of parturition in queens, as well as the effects of the queens' age and weight and the litter size on the accuracy of the prediction. A prospective study was performed in 24 purebred queens of 11 different breeds, all in normal body condition, using radiographic and ultrasonographic measurements of foetal femoral length (FL) and biparietal diameter (BPD) of fœtal skull that apply to different breeds. Pregnant queens with aborted or malformed foetuses were excluded. The examinations were performed up to three times during the second half of pregnancy; litter size was obtained with radiography, and FL and BPD measurements were taken of each foetus using both radiography and ultrasonography. The maximal FL and the transversal BPD were recorded for each foetus. Radiography showed the number of foetuses accurately but did not allow accurate prediction of time of parturition. However, ultrasonography did establish the best predictive model according to the data with the FL. This model corresponded to the formula Y = 37.864 - 0.193 × FL + 1.227 × W - 0.615 × LS - 0.832 × A using the FL (10(-1)  mm), litter size (LS, number of foetuses per queen) and maternal parameters (weight (W, kg) and age (A, years)). Time to parturition correlated positively with the queen's weight and negatively with her age (P < 0.01). The ultrasonographic FL associated with pregnancy and maternal factors appeared to be an accurate model to predict parturition.

Relationships between fetal biometry, maternal factors and birth weight of purebred domestic cat kittens.

The goal of this study was to evaluate the relation between kittens' birth weights and biometrical factors from the kittens and the mother during pregnancy. Knowing fetal birth weight could help in detecting abnormalities before parturition. A Caesarean-section or a postnatal management plan could be scheduled. Consequently, the neonatal mortality rate should be decreased. We used ultrasonographic measurements of femur length (FL) or fetal biparietal diameter (BPD), pregnancies, and maternal factors to obtain a model of prediction. For this purpose, linear mixed-effects models were used because of random effects (several fetuses for one queen and a few paired measurements) and fixed effects (litter size, pregnancy rank, weight, wither height, and age of the queen). This study was performed in 24 purebred queens with normal pregnancies and normal body conditions. Queens were scanned in the second half of pregnancy, using a micro-convex probe. They gave birth to 140 healthy kittens whose mean birth weight was 104 g (ranged 65 to 165 g). No correlation between the birth weight and the age of the queen, as a maternal factor alone, was observed. But the birth weight was found to be inversely proportional to the pregnancy rank and the litter size. Moreover, birth weight increased when the weight and wither height of queen increased. BPD and FL increased linearly during pregnancy so a model was used to estimate mean birth weight. Using this model, we found a correlation between mean birth weights and an association of parameters: maternal factors (wither height and age), and litter size.

Follicular growth monitoring in the female cat during estrus.

Follicular growth in the feline ovary is usually detected indirectly, through behavior observation, vaginal smears, or more invasively, by estradiol assay in blood. This study was designed to describe follicular dynamics by transabdominal ultrasonography. Secondly, the stage of follicular growth was associated to behavioral and vaginal changes. Ovarian ultrasonography was performed during nine anovulatory and 12 ovulatory cycles. Forty-eight follicles were followed during anovulatory cycles: on the first day of estrus behavior, 4.8 ± 0.2 follicles (2 to 7 per female) of 2.3 ± 0.01 mm mean diameter were present. Follicular growth continued at a rate of 0.2 ± 0.04 mm per day. At least one follicle in the cohort reached a diameter greater than 3.0 mm. Maximal follicular growth (when one follicle of the cohort reached the maximal diameter observed for the whole estrus) was reached 3.8 ± 0.3 days after the onset of estrus with the largest follicle reaching a diameter of 3.5 ± 0.04 mm. Growth of the various follicles within a cohort was not exactly synchronous. When no ovulation took place, the follicular diameter decreased by 0.1 ± 0.01 mm per day until the end of estrus. The first day after the end of behavioral estrus, the diameter of the largest follicle in each cohort was 2.7 ± 0.05 mm. No correlation was found between follicular development and either vaginal smear characteristics, or time elapsed since the onset of estrus. When ovulations were mechanically induced after one follicle had reached 3.0 mm in diameter, artificial insemination produced normal pregnancy rate and litter size: four pregnant females out of nine, and 2 to 4 kittens per litter. Ultrasonography proved thus to allow the monitoring of follicular growth in the female cat, with low correlation with behavior and vaginal smear modifications. Further studies are needed to evaluate the interest of an ultrasonographic ovarian follow-up to determine the optimal moment for ovulation induction prior to artificial insemination.

Ultrasonography criteria for differentiating ACTH dependency from ACTH independency in 47 dogs with hyperadrenocorticism and equivocal adrenal asymmetry.

BACKGROUND: Adrenal ultrasonography (US) in dogs with hyperadrenocorticism (HAC) is commonly used to distinguish adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-independent (AIHAC) and ACTH-dependent hyperadrenocorticism (ADHAC). To date, no cut-off values for defining adrenal atrophy in cases of adrenal asymmetry have been determined. Given that asymmetrical hyperplasia is sometimes observed in ADHAC, adrenal asymmetry without ultrasonographic proof of adrenocortical tumor such as vascular invasion or metastasis can be equivocal. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare adrenal US findings between cases of ADHAC and AIHAC in dogs with equivocal adrenal asymmetry (EAA), and to identify useful criteria for their distinction. ANIMALS: Forty dogs with EAA were included. METHODS: Ultrasound reports of HAC dogs with adrenal asymmetry without obvious vascular invasion or metastases were reviewed. Dogs were classified as cases of ADHAC (n = 28) or AIHAC (n = 19), determined by plasma ACTH concentration. The thickness, shape, and echogenicity of both adrenal glands and presence of adjacent vascular compression were compared between AIHAC and ADHAC groups. RESULTS: The maximal dorsoventral thickness of the smaller gland (SDV) ranged from 2.0 to 5.0 mm in AIHAC and from 5.0 to 15.0 mm in ADHAC. The 95% confidence intervals for estimated sensitivity and specificity of a SDV cut-off set at 5.0 mm in the diagnosis of AIHAC were 82-100 and 82-99%, respectively. Other tested US criteria were found to overlap extensively between the 2 groups, precluding their usefulness for distinction. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: In EAA cases, an SDV ≤5.0 mm is an appropriate cut-off for AIHAC ultrasonographic diagnosis.

Chiari-like malformation and syringomyelia in normal cavalier King Charles spaniels: a multiple diagnostic imaging approach.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the study were (1) to report the incidence of Chiari-like malformation and syringomyelia in a normal French cavalier King Charles spaniel breeding population; (2) to precise the standard computed tomography dimensions of the caudal fossa and (3) to investigate the use of ultrasonography in diagnosis of this syndrome. METHODS: Clinically normal adult cavalier King Charles spaniel underwent ultrasonographic examination of the spinal cord and caudal fossa. Computed tomography was used to measure the caudal fossa and magnetic resonance imaging allowed syringomyelia and cerebellar herniation identification. RESULTS: Of the 16 dogs in the study, seven had syringomyelia (43.7 per cent). All dogs had cerebellar herniation, suggesting Chiari-like malformation and also a tendency to occipital dysplasia. Computed tomography measurements of the caudal fossa are reported. In one dog, a syrinx was identified by ultrasonography. The only difference between dogs with or without syringomyelia was that dogs with Chiari-like malformation/syringomyelia were statistically older. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The incidence of Chiari-like malformation and syringomyelia may be high in an asymptomatic population of cavalier King Charles spaniel . Computed tomography measurements reported in this study should now be compared with those of a symptomatic population to evaluate the hypothesis that dogs with Chiari-like malformation/syringomyelia syndrome have a smaller caudal fossa. This study did not identify a smaller caudal fossa in an asymptomatic cavalier King Charles spaniel population with syringomyelia. Ultrasonography probably has a low sensitivity for diagnosis of Chiari-like malformation/syringomyelia.

Emphysematous pyometra in a dog.

An 8-year-old intact female West Highland White Terrier was examined for anorexia, vomiting, abdominal distension, and mild purulent vulvar discharge. The results of physical examination, laboratory testing, and radiography are presented. Emphysematous pyometra was suspected and confirmed at surgery. Clostridium perfringens was isolated from the uterine lumen. A brief discussion of emphysematous pyometra is presented.

The structure of the upper atmosphere of mars: In situ accelerometer measurements from mars global surveyor

The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) z-axis accelerometer has obtained over 200 vertical structures of thermospheric density, temperature, and pressure, ranging from 110 to 170 kilometers, compared to only three previous such vertical structures. In November 1997, a regional dust storm in the Southern Hemisphere triggered an unexpectedly large thermospheric response at mid-northern latitudes, increasing the altitude of thermospheric pressure surfaces there by as much as 8 kilometers and indicating a strong global thermospheric response to a regional dust storm. Throughout the MGS mission, thermospheric density bulges have been detected on opposite sides of the planet near 90 degreesE and 90 degreesW, in the vicinity of maximum terrain heights. This wave 2 pattern may be caused by topographically-forced planetary waves propagating up from the lower atmosphere.

[Pseudo-spondylodiscitis as manifestation of diffuse articular chondrocalcinosis (author's transl)]. / Les pseudo-spondylodiscites de la chondrocalcinose articulaire diffuse.

Articular chondrocalcinosis (ACC), which is due to the precipitation of calcium pyrophosphate microcrystals, is known to produce symptom of acute arthritis or chronic degenerative polyarticular lesions. It is more rarely responsible for rapidly destructive lesions of the joints suggesting a metabolic or neurological process. The case reported here of a 66 year old woman with major lesions of the L1-L2 intervertebral space, together with other cases already published, shows that the destructive spinal forms of ACC may also present as subacute spondylodiscitis. The latter, however, merely represents 4.9% of all destructive articular lesions of ACC and 5.2% of the vertebral localizations of all forms of the disease.