A Technical Note of Improvement of the Elnady Technique for Tissue Preservation in Veterinary Anatomy.

Teaching veterinary anatomy has been subjected to changes and restrictions that have promoted the development of new techniques for preserving organs and cadavers. The Elnady technique is a recent method for the conservation of tissues. Specimens produced with this technique are realistic, durable, soft, and flexible, but an undesirable feature is the discoloration of tissues. In the present study, we describe modifications of the Elnady technique for organ and tissue preservation. Specimens were prepared on the theoretical basis of the Elnady technique, but at low temperatures and with longer durations for the fixation, dehydration, glycerin impregnation and curing processes. Furthermore, the tissues were pigmented with a red vegetable pigment before dehydration or in the glycerin impregnation process. The results show high-quality specimens with minimal shrinkage and natural color aspects. The modified Elnady technique is adequate for producing specimens of better contrast for education purposes.

Morphometrical Study of the Lumbar Segment of the Internal Vertebral Venous Plexus in Dogs: A Contrast CT-Based Study.

The internal vertebral venous plexus (IVVP) is a thin-walled, valveless venous network that is located inside the vertebral canal, communicating with the cerebral venous sinuses. The objective of this study was to perform a morphometric analysis of the IVVP, dural sac, epidural space and vertebral canal between the L1 and L7 vertebrae with contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT). Six clinically healthy adult dogs weighing between 12 kg to 28 kg were used in the study. The CT venographic protocol consisted of a manual injection of 880 mgI/kg of contrast agent (587 mgI/kg in a bolus and 293 mgI/mL by continuous infusion). In all CT images, the dimensions of the IVVP, dural sac, and vertebral canal were collected. Dorsal reconstruction CT images showed a continuous rhomboidal morphological pattern for the IVVP. The dural sac was observed as a rounded isodense structure throughout the vertebral canal. The average area of the IVVP ranged from 0.61 to 0.74 mm2 between L1 and L7 vertebrae (6.3-8.9% of the vertebral canal), and the area of the dural sac was between 1.22 and 7.42 mm2 (13.8-72.2% of the vertebral canal). The area of the epidural space between L1 and L7 ranged from 2.85 to 7.78 mm2 (27.8-86.2% of the vertebral canal). This CT venography protocol is a safe method that allows adequate visualization and morphometric evaluation of the IVVP and adjacent structures.

Improvement of Spatial and Non-verbal General Reasoning Abilities in Female Veterinary Medical Students Over the First 64 Weeks of an Integrated Curriculum.

Spatial visualization ability is defined as the ability to mentally rotate two- and three-dimensional figures. Visual reasoning is the ability to manipulate mental images of an object to reach a certain conclusion and has been linked to spatial ability. There is currently limited information about how entry-level spatial and visual reasoning abilities may be enhanced with progression through the rigorous veterinary medical curriculum. The present study made use of two tests that measure spatial ability and one test that measures non-verbal general reasoning ability in female veterinary students: Guay's Visualization of Views Test, Adapted Version (VVT), Mental Rotations Test (MRT), and Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices Test, short form (APMT). Tests were given immediately before commencing the integrated veterinary medical curriculum (T0), at week 32 (T1), and at week 64 (T2) into the program. Results showed improved spatial visualization ability as measured by VVT and MRT and improved non-verbal general reasoning ability as measured by APMT at both 32 and 64 weeks. The spatial ability scores measured by VVT and MRT showed a positive correlation with non-verbal general reasoning ability scores (APMT), supporting the idea that these abilities are linked.

Entry-Level Spatial and General Non-verbal Reasoning: Can These Abilities be Used as a Predictor for Anatomy Performance in Veterinary Medical Students?

There is currently limited available information, but growing interest, in possible relationships between spatial visualization skills in medical students and their academic performance in select areas of the curriculum such as radiographic interpretation and anatomy. There is very limited comparable information on how entry-level spatial visualization skills may correlate with macroscopic anatomy performance in veterinary medical students exposed to an integrated curriculum. The present study made use of a battery of two short tests that measure spatial ability: Guay's visualization of views test (VVT) and mental rotation test (MRT) and, one test that measures general non-verbal reasoning abilities: Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices Test, short form (APMT). Tests were given to 1st-year veterinary medical students (n = 124) immediately before commencing the integrated veterinary medical curriculum. Results show there is a positive correlation between entry-level spatial ability and non-verbal general reasoning scores confirming these abilities are linked (r: +0.22 and +0.3 for VVT/APMT and MRT/APMT respectively). The dispersion and inconsistency of significant positive correlation between anatomy practical exams grade and spatial and general reasoning scores suggest these abilities either do not correlate with anatomy practical exams grade or, are overcome with progression through the anatomy courses. Males scored higher than females in the spatial ability tests: 16.59 vs. 12.06 for VVT (p = 0.01) and 19.0 vs. 14.68 for MRT (p = 0.01). Scores for APMT did not show a significant difference by gender.