Preventive incisional negative pressure wound therapy (Prevena) for an at-risk-surgical closure in a female Rottweiler.

This case report describes a combination of negative pressure-wound-therapy (NPWT) and NPWT assisted incision management after resection of an abscess located at the right thoracic wall in a Rottweiler. The patient had a history of severe incisional complications after surgical interventions performed in the past, including repeated episodes of wound dehiscence, major skin necrosis and infection with and without a multiresistant strain of Staphylococcus aureus and several episodes of open wound management with healing rates between months and a year. Wound closure after resection of the mass was performed as a staged procedure. After two days of open NPWT the wound was primarily closed and a preventive incisional vacuum assisted therapy (CI-NPWT) was started for 7 days. The patient was discharged during therapy with the portable device in place. The Unit was removed at day 7 post wound closure, suture removal followed at day 10. Wound healing was uneventful and no major complications occurred at a follow up time of 8 months. This is the first description of closed incisional negative pressure wound therapy in the dog.

[Detection and evaluation of cartilage defects in the canine stifle joint - an ex vivo study using high-field magnetic resonance imaging]. / Ex-vivo-Untersuchungen zum Nachweis von Knorpeldefekten im Kniegelenk des Hundes mit der Hochfeld-Magnetresonanztomographie.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to implement and test an imaging protocol for the detection and evaluation of standardised cartilage defects using high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to determine its limitations. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A total of 84 cartilage defects were created in the femoral condyles of euthanized dogs with a minimum body mass of 25 kg. The cartilage defects had a depth of 0.3 to 1.0 mm and a diameter of 1 to 5 mm. T1-FLASH-3D-WE-sequences with an isotropic voxel size of 0.5 x 0.5 x 0.5 mm and an anisotropic voxel size of 0.3 x 0.3 x 0.8 mm were used. In addition to quantitative evaluation of the cartilage defects, the sig- nal intensities, signal-to-noise ratios and contrast-to-noise ratios of the cartilage were determined. Of special interest were the limita- tions in identifying and delineating the standardised cartilage defects. RESULTS: With the anisotropic voxel size, more cartilage defects were detectable. Our results demonstrated that cartilage defects as small as 3.0 mm in diameter and 0.4 mm in depth were reliably detected using anisotropic settings. Cartilage defects below this size were not reliably detected. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: We found that for optimal delineation of the joint cartilage and associated defects, a higher in-plane resolution with a larger slice thickness should be used, corresponding to the anisotropic settings employed in this study. For the delineation of larger cartilage defects, both the anisotropic and isotropic imaging methods can be used.