Endogenous lipoid pneumonia associated with pulmonary neoplasia in three dogs.

Endogenous lipoid pneumonia is a poorly characterised condition in veterinary medicine, particularly in dogs, but it is well recognised in association with lung neoplasia in humans. This case series describes three unique cases of endogenous lipoid pneumonia associated with lung neoplasia, including clinical, imaging, cytological findings and outcome. Clinical presentation and imaging lesions can appear non-specific and may be obscured by neoplastic infiltrate and so diagnosis requires cytology or histopathology. Awareness of endogenous lipoid pneumonia in dogs with pulmonary neoplasia has an impact on staging and monitoring, treatment of clinical signs and quality of life and also aids appropriate use of antimicrobials.

Coronary arteriovenous malformation in a dog with a complex arrhythmia and hypothyroidism.

A four-year-old Japanese Akita was referred for investigation of lethargy, exercise intolerance, and an irregular heart rhythm. He was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, a complex ventricular arrhythmia, and hypothyroidism. Echocardiography identified a nest of anomalous vessels surrounding the heart and shunting into the pulmonary artery. Computed tomography confirmed a coronary arteriovenous malformation consisting of a coronary-to-pulmonary arterial communication and an associated complex nest of tortuous vessels, which was thought to be an incidental finding. Clinical signs improved with levothyroxine and antiarrhythmic treatment. Describing an unusual coronary artery anomaly as well, this case serves as a reminder to critically evaluate the hemodynamic significance of structural cardiac disease and to screen for systemic disease in patients with arrhythmias.

Radiographic, computed tomographic, gross pathological and histological findings with suspected apical infection in 32 equine maxillary cheek teeth (2012-2015).

BACKGROUND: Equine maxillary cheek teeth apical infections are a significant disorder because of frequent spread of infection to the supporting bones. The accuracy of computed tomographic imaging (CT) of this disorder has not been fully assessed. OBJECTIVES: To compare the radiographic and CT findings in horses diagnosed with maxillary cheek teeth apical infections with pathological findings in the extracted teeth to assess the accuracy of these imaging techniques. STUDY DESIGN: Observational clinical study. METHODS: Thirty-two maxillary cheek teeth (in 29 horses) diagnosed with apical infections by clinical, radiographic and principally by CT examinations, were extracted orally. The extracted teeth were subjected to further CT, gross pathological and histological examinations. Four normal teeth extracted from a cadaver served as controls. RESULTS: Pulpar and apical changes highly indicative of maxillary cheek teeth apical infection were present in all 32 teeth on CT, but in just 17/32 teeth (53%) radiographically. Gross pulpar/apical abnormalities and histological pulpar/periapical changes were present in 31/32 (97%) extracted teeth. On CT, one tooth contained small gas pockets in the apical aspect of one pulp and adjacent periodontal space, however no pathological changes were found following its extraction. MAIN LIMITATIONS: The study is descriptive and is confined to a small number of cases. CONCLUSION: This study showed a 97% agreement between CT diagnosis of maxillary cheek teeth apical infection and the presence of pathological changes in the extracted teeth, confirming the diagnostic accuracy of CT compared with radiography for this disorder.

Evaluation of ex vivo restoration of carious equine maxillary cheek teeth infundibulae following debridement with dental drills and Hedstrom files.

An ex-vivo study was performed on vertically mounted equine maxillary cheek teeth that had caries of 30 infundibulae, using high and low speed contra-angle dental drills and Hedstrom files to debride infundibular food debris and carious dental tissues. This technique effectively debrided 27/30 infundibulae with a mean depth of 19mm (range 9.4-34.3mm) as assessed by computed tomographic (CT) imaging. The debrided infundibulae were treated with sodium hypochlorite, EDTA and a bonding agent, and then then filled in layers with endodontic restoration materials. Further CT imaging and direct examination of sectioned restored teeth showed 6/30 infundibulae, including three that were incompletely debrided, to have defects between the restoration and the infundibular wall/apex. Twenty-one of the remaining 24 infundibulae contained air bubbles, largely within restorations. It is concluded that the use of drills and Hedstrom files is effective in debriding carious infundibulae but improved techniques and materials are required to more effectively fill infundibulae with restorative material.

Type Ia (spherical) communicating colonic duplication in a dog treated with colectomy.

A six-month-old Labrador retriever presented for investigation of a colonic mass identified as an incidental finding during exploratory coeliotomy. Computed tomography identified a lesion in the colon which occupied part of its lumen and shared blood supply with the remainder of the colon. The lesion was suspected to be a colonic duplication and it was excised by segmental colectomy during exploratory coeliotomy. Histopathology from the excised colon confirmed the diagnosis of a colonic duplication. The dog recovered uneventfully and had no complications. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of an asymptomatic, spherical, communicating colonic duplication and the first report to describe segmental colectomy for the management of this condition in veterinary patients.

Incomplete Urethral Duplication Associated with a Dermoid Cyst in a Dog with Urinary Obstruction.

A 20-month-old male miniature dachshund was evaluated for a 10-week history of intermittent stranguria, pollakiuria, haematuria and obstructive urolithiasis. Retrograde urethrocystography revealed a subcutaneous saccular structure in the perineal area connected to the intrapelvic urethra associated with urolithiasis. After excision of the perineal saccular structure, microscopical examination confirmed the presence of transitional epithelium lining the diverticulum, with isolated submucosal smooth muscle bundles. This structure was attached to another saccular structure lined by stratified squamous keratinizing epithelium with hair follicles, sebaceous glands and apocrine glands. An incomplete urethral duplication with dermoid cyst was diagnosed. The dog recovered uneventfully from surgery and was still urinary continent and free from clinical signs 5 months after surgery. To the authors' knowledge this is the first report of an incomplete urethral duplication with a dermoid cyst and concurrent obstructive urolithiasis in a dog.

An anatomical study of the dorsal and ventral nasal conchal bullae in normal horses: Computed tomographic anatomical and morphometric findings.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Infection of the dorsal nasal conchal bulla and ventral nasal conchal bulla has recently been shown to cause clinical disease in horses, but the anatomy of these 2 structures is poorly documented. OBJECTIVES: To describe the anatomical features, dimensions and relationships to adjacent structures of the dorsal conchal bulla and ventra conchal bulla in normal horses using computed tomography (CT). STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive imaging study using cadavers. METHODS: Computed tomographic images acquired from 60 equine cadaver heads that were shown to be free of sinonasal disease were categorised into 3 age groups (0-5; 6-15; >16 years old). Linear and volumetric measurements and descriptive anatomical assessments of the dorsal conchal bulla and ventral conchal bulla were produced from these CT images and the anatomical relationships between the dorsal conchal bulla and ventral conchal bulla and the adjacent structures, particularly the maxillary cheek teeth, were examined. The associations between bullae dimensions with horse ages and skull dimensions were assessed using linear regression. RESULTS: Mean (range) dorsal conchal bulla measurements were: length 7.5 cm (4.6-14), width 1.9 cm (1.3-2.5), height 2.8 cm (1.8-4), volume 24 cm3 (5.9-50.5). Mean ventral conchal bulla measurements were: length 5.7 cm (2.5-8.5), width 1.6 cm (0.7-2.9), height 2.4 cm (0.8-3.7), volume 15 cm3 (0.4-30). In both dorsal conchal bulla and ventral conchal bulla, there were significant differences in sizes between the different age groups (smaller in younger animals). In the ventral conchal bulla, this was probably related to protrusion of the large dental alveoli of younger horses into the lateral nasal cavity. Measures of bullae size and volume were significantly associated with head size. The anatomical positions (rostro-caudal boundaries) of the dorsal conchal bulla and ventral conchal bulla were closely associated with specific maxillary cheek teeth. CONCLUSIONS: Computed tomography was a useful technique to establish the linear and volumetric dimensions of the nasal conchal bullae in normal horses. Both dorsal conchal bulla and ventral conchal bulla sizes increased with animal age. Relatively consistent anatomical relationships were shown between the rostral and caudal limits of the bullae and certain maxillary cheek teeth, which would be of diagnostic value with conventional radiography and act as landmarks in the surgical treatment of nasal bulla disease.

Critical evaluation of ex vivo restoration of carious equine maxillary cheek teeth infundibulae following high-pressure gas and micro-particle abrasion.

Infundibular caries of the equine maxillary cheek teeth is an important disorder that can lead to dental fracture or apical infection. Treatment by removing food debris and carious dental tissue from affected infundibulae using high-pressure abrasion with aluminium hydroxide micro-particles, followed by filling the cleaned defect with endodontic restorative materials is a recommended treatment. However, although anecdotally considered a successful treatment option, there is currently no objective evidence to support this claim. Forty maxillary cheek teeth (CT) that contained 55 infundibulae with caries (mainly grade 2) were extracted post-mortem from 21 adult horses. Five of the CT were sectioned prior to treatment to facilitate visual examination of the carious infundibulae. The remaining carious infundibulae were cleaned using high-pressure abrasion with aluminium hydroxide particles and five CT were sectioned to assess the efficacy of this cleaning process. The remaining 30 CT containing 39 carious infundibulae were then filled with a composite restorative material. The efficacy of this restoration was assessed by computed tomography imaging followed by direct visual examination after sectioning the teeth. Only 46% (18/39) of restored infundibulae, all with shallow (mean 9.6 mm deep) defects, were fully cleaned of food debris and carious material, and filled with restorative material to their full depth. Of these 18, 11 had peripheral defects around the restoration, leaving just 18% (7/39) of restorations without any gross defects. The remaining 54% (21/39) of infundibulae (mean depth of infundibular caries defect, 18.3 mm) still contained food debris and/or carious material in more apical locations, with infundibulae with the deepest caries defects being the least effectively cleaned. The findings of this study indicate that high-pressure micro-particle abrasion is only effective in cleaning food debris from shallow, carious CT infundibulae and consequently, the majority of subsequent infundibular restorations are imperfect.

67Gallium citrate scintigraphy to assess metastatic spread in a dog with an oral melanoma.

Gallium scintigraphy was used to evaluate therapeutic response in a 10-year-old, male, Dutch sheepdog, suffering from an oral melanoma. Treatment was performed with a combination of carboplatin and hypofractionated radiation. Nineteen weeks after radiation therapy, the left submandibular lymph node was surgically removed because of metastatic disease. Thirty weeks after radiation therapy, 67Gallium scintigraphy was performed to assess for residual disease and metastasis. Increased uptake in the right submandibular lymph node area was noted and identified as a melanoma metastasis on cytology. Surgical excision was performed. Twenty-one weeks later, the dog was euthanased because of advanced pulmonary metastases. This report of a case of oral melanoma illustrates the advantages of 67Gallium scintigraphy in monitoring for the presence of metastatic disease and effectiveness of therapy.

Use of [123I]-2-iodo-L-phenylalanine as a tumor imaging agent in two dogs with synovial cell sarcoma.

[123I]-iodo-L-phenylalanine was successfully evaluated for gamma camera imaging in vivo in tumor-bearing athymic mice and in humans with brain tumors. Here, we report the use of this tracer in two dogs with synovial cell sarcoma of the tarsus. [123I]-iodo-L-phenylalanine was quantitatively prepared as a kit formulation using the Cu(1+) +-assisted nucleophilic exchange. Rapid [123I]-2-iodo-L-phenylalanine tumor accumulation was observed with good tumor to background contrast and rapid clearance in these two dogs. This radiopharmaceutical is a promising alternative tumor tracer to overcome the known limitations of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose and, when labelled with radioiodine-131, has the potential to be used for therapeutic purposes.