Surgical repair of a congenital sternal cleft in a cat.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical findings, diagnosis, and treatment of an incomplete cleft of the 5th-8th sternebra and a cranioventral abdominal wall hernia in a 2 month old Ragdoll kitten and to evaluate the short- and long-term outcome. STUDY DESIGN: Clinical report. ANIMALS: Ragdoll cat (n = 1), 2 months old. METHODS: Sternal cleft was confirmed by thoracic radiographs. Computed tomography (CT) was used to plan an optimal surgical approach. A ventral median incision was made, starting at the 3rd sternebra and extended into the abdomen. Ostectomy of the proximal part of the 5th left sternebra was performed. Lateral periosteal flaps were created, unfolded, and absorbable monofilament sutures preplaced to facilitate closure and the repair was reinforced by 2 peristernal sutures. A bone graft was applied, and the free margin of the omentum was sutured to the cranial aspect of the wound. RESULTS: No major complications occurred. At 3 weeks, CT scan confirmed approximation of the hemisternebrae and at 10 months, complete fusion of the hemisternebrae had not occurred, but a strong connection of the sternal bars was present. CONCLUSION: Sternal cleft is a rare congenital abnormality that can be corrected surgically with favorable outcome.

Detection of innocent systolic murmurs by auscultation and their relation to hematologic and echocardiographic findings in clinically normal Whippets.

OBJECTIVE: To determine murmur prevalence by auscultation of 105 apparently healthy Whippets without signs of cardiac disease, to determine the origin of these murmurs, and to evaluate the influence of sex, type of pedigree (ie, bred for showing or racing), and training on these murmurs. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. ANIMALS: 105 client-owned Whippets. PROCEDURES: All dogs were auscultated by the first author and underwent a complete physical and cardiological examination, together with a hematologic assessment. Several RBC variables and echocardiographic variables were compared between dogs with or without a murmur at the level of the aortic valve. RESULTS: 44 of 105 (41.9%) dogs had no murmur. A soft systolic murmur was present with point of maximal intensity at the level of the aortic valve in 50 (47.6%) dogs, at the level of the pulmonic valve in 8 (7.6%) dogs, and at the level of the mitral valve in 3 (2.9%) dogs. No significant differences were found in heart rate, rhythm, murmur presence, point of maximal intensity, and murmur grade between males and females, between dogs with race- and show-type pedigrees, or between dogs in training and not in training. Dogs with a murmur at the level of the aortic valve had a significantly higher aortic and pulmonic blood flow velocity and cardiac output, compared with dogs without a murmur. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Whippets have a high prevalence of soft systolic murmurs in the absence of any structural abnormalities, which fit the description of innocent murmurs. No influence of sex, pedigree type, or training was found on the occurrence of these murmurs in Whippets.