Modified semitendinosus muscle transposition to repair ventral perineal hernia in 14 dogs.

OBJECTIVES: To describe a modified technique of semitendinosus muscle transposition for the repair of ventral perineal hernia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective review of case records of dogs with ventral perineal hernia that were treated by transposing the medial half of the longitudinally split semitendinosus muscle of one limb. The transposition of the internal obturator muscle was used when uni- or bilateral rectal sacculation was also present in addition to ventral perineal hernia; colopexy and vas deferens pexy were also performed. RESULTS: Fourteen dogs were included. In addition to ventral perineal hernia, unilateral and bilateral perineal hernia was also present in five and six of the dogs, respectively. The mean follow-up time was 890 days. Ventral perineal hernia was successfully managed by the modified semitendinosus muscle transposition with minor complications in all the dogs included in the study. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Despite the small number of dogs included, the unilateral transposition of the medial half of the longitudinally split semitendinosus muscle consistently supported the ventral rectal enlargement in perineal hernia without obvious adverse effects.

Monophasic teratoma of the ovarian remnant in a bitch.

An exploratory laparotomy on a mixed-breed bitch of an estimated age of 5 years revealed that she had undergone ovariectomy in the past, but a cystic structure was present in the area of the right ovary and a whitish mass, approximately 3 cm in diameter, in the area of the left ovary. These structures were removed together with an apparently normal uterus. Histological examination of the cyst showed a thin layer of connective tissue, while the left ovarian mass revealed ovarian tissue and highly differentiated nervous tissue, confirmed through immunohistochemistry. A presumptive diagnosis of mature ovarian teratoma was made. Although teratomas generally contain recognizable elements from more than one of the three germ cell layers, they can also be monophasic, when there is only one germ layer component. Ovarian teratomas are rare in the dog and never before have been reported in an ovarian fragment.

Migration of a Kirschner wire to the heart in a Yorkshire terrier.

A 12-year-old, male Yorkshire terrier was presented for acute pulmonary oedema. Thoracic radiographs showed a linear metallic foreign body within the cardiac silhouette. Echocardiogram showed a hyperechoic line extending through the left ventricle, the mitral valve, leading into the left atrium. A 4 cm long Kirschner wire was surgically removed by left fourth thoracotomy. The dog died two days after surgery for acute pulmonary oedema. Necropsy showed thrombi on the mitral leaflets that impeded their movement.