Ovarian remnant syndrome: revascularization of free-floating ovarian tissue in the feline abdominal cavity.

Nine, healthy, intact female domestic shorthair cats were ovariohysterectomized. At the time of surgery and following removal, the major portion of one ovary was loosely sutured to the mesentery and replaced in the abdominal cavity. Six months later, an abdominal laparotomy was performed in order to retrieve the ovarian remnants. Histopathological examination of the remnants showed viable tissue and evidence of ovarian follicles or corpora lutea in eight of nine (88.9%) cats. The ninth ovarian remnant was atrophied and fibrotic. Measurement of serum estradiol and progesterone, vaginal cytology, and stimulation of estrus and ovulation with a protocol using pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) followed by human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) were unreliable indicators of ovarian activity in this study. Revitalization of an ovarian remnant was shown to occur in the absence of surgical implantation.

Hematological and biochemical changes and results of aerobic bacteriological culturing in dogs undergoing splenectomy.

Changes in complete blood count (CBC), bone marrow, reticulocyte count, coagulation profile, biochemical analysis, and serum iron, transferrin, and immunoglobulin M (IgM) concentrations were measured three and 10 days after splenectomy in 12 dogs. Spleens were cultured aerobically for bacteria and submitted for histopathological evaluation in 23 dogs undergoing splenectomy. There were no consistent changes in red blood cell (RBC), white blood cell (WBC), or platelet counts; bone-marrow samples; or biochemical profiles. Serum iron, transferrin, and IgM concentrations remained normal. Eight (35%) bacterial cultures yielded growth. Five of the 23 dogs had pyrexic episodes two-to-five days after surgery. In contrast to previous reports done on healthy dogs, this study shows that dogs with splenic disease have no characteristic changes in hematological or biochemical parameters after splenectomy. Rather, the changes tended to reflect the primary disease process. Splenic vascular compromise or a decrease in processing of bacteria may have resulted in the bacterial growth. There was no direct correlation to pyrexic postoperative episodes.

Comparison of seven different suture materials in the feline oral cavity.

Seven different suture materials were implanted into the oral tissues of 12 cats. The sutures and surrounding tissues were retrieved en bloc from each of two cats on days one, three, seven, 14, 21, and 28 postimplantation. Tissue reaction and suture duration were evaluated by gross visual observation and histological examination. Chromic gut disappeared between days three and seven; polyglactin 910 disappeared between days 14 and 21; and polyglycolic acid disappeared as early as seven to 14 days. Polydioxanone still was intact at day 28 and is recommended as an absorbable material for procedures in which longer healing time is anticipated. All the nonabsorbable suture materials (i.e., polypropylene, stainless steel, and nylon) were intact at day 28 postimplantation. Visual inspection showed polypropylene to have the least tissue reaction.

Selection of the appropriate surgical approach for intervertebral disc disease.

In no other area of veterinary surgery is the selection and performance of the appropriate surgical approach more important than neurosurgery. An adequate, atraumatic, and anatomically sound exposure is an important part of the battle in most orthopaedic procedures and is an even more important consideration when related to neurosurgery. The delicate and often unforgiving nature of the tissue involved dictates that careful planning and attention to detail become high priority concerns for the veterinary neurosurgeon. Most veterinarians recommend surgery for dogs with severe impairment, recurrent disease, and progressively deteriorating neurologic signs. Difficulties remain in the timing of surgery and in the choice of what surgical approach is most appropriate for the neurologically impaired dog in question. Surgical approaches in the cervical region include ventral and dorsal. In the thoracolumbar spine, either dorsal or dorsolateral approaches are used. In the lumbosacral region, a dorsal approach is preferred. The objective of this chapter will be to compare and contrast each of these approaches and to guide the reader in the selection of the appropriate approach for each patient.

Salivary gland diseases. Diagnosis, treatment, and associated problems.

Salivary gland diseases are uncommon in both the dog and the cat. Conditions involving the salivary glands include rupture, inflammation, dilation, necrosis, fistula, a foreign body, autoimmune disease, calculi, and neoplasia. The onset of many of these conditions is often insidious, with vague findings on physical examination. Proper diagnosis and treatment is often dependent on aspiration, radiology, and exploratory surgery. Surgical problems associated with salivary gland surgery relate primarily to accurate dissection, complete extirpation of the involved gland(s) and duct system(s), and drainage when indicated. Complications are more often a result of improper diagnosis and iatrogenic interference than the primary disease. The focus of this discussion will be on accurate diagnosis and treatment so that associated problems and complications can be avoided.

Pyometra in cats: 183 cases (1979-1984).

Pyometra was diagnosed in 183 cats. The most common signs detected by owners included vaginal discharge, anorexia, and lethargy. Main clinical findings on physical examination were vaginal discharge, abdominal distention, dehydration, palpable uterus, and pyrexia. Abdominal radiography revealed a large uterus in 138/169 cats. Most cats had leukocytosis with a left shift. Diagnosis of pyometra was confirmed at surgery in all cats on the basis of finding a large uterus containing purulent material. Clinical signs resolved in 168 cats after surgery; 15 cats (8%) died or were euthanatized. Postoperative complications in 20% generally resolved within 2 weeks after the cats were sent home. Signs detected by owners and results of physical examination in cats with pyometra were similar, but not as conspicuous as those reported in the dog. Mortality (8%) was similar to that seen in dogs.

Ventral abdominal, transdiaphragmatic approach for implantation of cardiac pacemakers in the dog.

Surgical implantation of a sutureless myocardial electrode and pulse generator was performed in 18 dogs, using a ventral abdominal, transdiaphragmatic approach. Twelve dogs were greater than or equal to 10 years old. The 18 dogs weighed from 3 to 54 kg. Indications for permanent cardiac pacemaker implantation included complete (3rd degree) atrioventricular block, sick sinus syndrome, and sinus bradycardia. Few complications developed during or after surgery. One dog died during surgery from ventricular fibrillation, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was found at necropsy. Five dogs died 1 to 19 months after surgery (mean, 8.6 months) because of renal failure, hepatic cirrhosis, congestive cardiomyopathy, or idiopathic causes. Twelve dogs were alive 1 to 48 months after surgery (mean, 15.1 months). The surgical approach was used a second time in 3 dogs to replace the myocardial electrode wire and pulse generator 4, 16, and 26 months after surgery; technical complications were not associated with the second surgery in these 3 dogs. In 2 dogs that had initial pacemaker implantation via lateral thoracotomy, a transdiaphragmatic approach was used to replace the myocardial electrode lead and pulse generator 25.5 and 26 months after surgery. According to results of this study, the ventral abdominal, transdiaphragmatic approach for permanent pacemaker implantation in the dog is a simpler technique, with decreased surgery time, decreased time of tissue exposure, and decreased rate of infection, as compared with results described by investigators who used lateral thoracotomy or midline celiotomy and caudal one-third median sternotomy.

Surgery in hematopoietic tumors.

The role of surgery in the diagnosis of hematopoietic malignancies is undisputed. Many techniques to procure and examine representative tissue samples are recognized in identifying dogs and cats with these diseases. More sophisticated cytologic techniques not yet readily available would be helpful in implementing appropriate diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic approaches. Surgery has a limited role in the management of primary disease. The greatest limitation to surgical intervention is the systemic nature of most hematopoietic malignancies. Other limitations that can more realistically be overcome include early recognition of patients with extranodal lymphomas in Stage I disease, the increased use of surgery and radiation as adjunctive therapies for patients with regional disease, a more aggressive approach to the treatment of disease complications, and the implementation of promising experimental therapies in clinical patients of the future. The surgeon treating dogs and cats with hematopoietic malignancies must, as always, practice accepted principles of bacteriologic and oncologic asepsis and await further advances in veterinary medicine to integrate this discipline more completely with other modalities of therapy.

Species variability for toxicity of free and liposome-encapsulated muramyl peptides administered intravenously.

Muramyl dipeptide and muramyl tripeptide in free form or encapsulated within multilamellar liposomes were injected intravenously into (C57BL/6 X C3H)F1 mice and strain 2 guinea pigs to evaluate their potential acute, subacute, or chronic toxicity. Animals received either single or multiple (X 3, X 4, X 6, X 8) injections. A definite species variation was established with regard to the toxic nature of muramyl peptides. Mice failed to exhibit any changes of a clinical, biochemical, functional, or morphological nature in response to repeated intravenous administrations of high doses of muramyl peptide (free or in liposomes). In contrast, strain 2 guinea pigs were very sensitive to muramyl peptide, regardless of the dose or number of injections, or whether it was given in liposomes or as micelles (free form). Most guinea pigs exhibited vascular pathology reminiscent of the Schwartzman phenomenon. Further toxicity studies of muramyl peptides administered at relevant biological doses are recommended, as well as studies aimed at elucidating the reasons for the species variations.

Canine hemangiosarcoma: retrospective analysis of 104 cases.

Hemangiosarcoma was diagnosed in 104 dogs. The mean age was 10 years. Twenty-two breeds were represented. The most common were the German Shepherd Dog and Poodle. Most tumors were in the spleen (65/104). Other primary sites included the soft tissues of the trunk and extremities (18), liver (6), heart (3), and lung (2). Sixty of the dogs were examined because of rupture of the primary tumor or metastatic disease. Of the 104 dogs, 4 are alive and 100 are dead: 35 were euthanatized at the time of diagnosis, and the remaining 65 had a mean survival time of 123 days. The mean survival time of the 4 living dogs was 360 days. Forty-seven of the 65 dogs with splenic hemangiosarcoma were treated with surgery alone, surgery and immunotherapy, or surgery, immunotherapy, and combination chemotherapy. The same 47 dogs were clinically staged. There was no difference in survival time according to therapy or stage of disease.

Alveolar lavage in dogs.

Alveolar lavage was performed in 10 healthy dogs. After tracheal intubation was done, a sterile fiberoptic bronchoscope was wedged in a distant bronchus and the lungs were lavaged with sterile saline solution. An average of 140 ml of saline solution was flushed into the lungs of each dog, and an average of 79% of the solution was recovered. Examination of the recovered fluid revealed average total cell counts of 6.4 X 10(6) cells/dog. Average differential cell counts were as follows: macrophages, 50.5%; lymphocytes, 46.0%; and neutrophils, 3.5%. Results of bacterial culture of the recovered fluid were negative in 8 dogs and positive in 2; Bordetella bronchiseptica was isolated in 1 dog and Klebsiella pneumoniae was isolated in the other.

Chemotherapeutic management of transmissible venereal tumors in 30 dogs.

Thirty dogs with transmissible venereal tumors were examined either at The Donaldson-Atwood Cancer Clinic of The Animal Medical Center or at The University of Georgia Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. After biopsy, all dogs were treated with a combination chemotherapy regimen consisting of vincristine, cyclophosphamide, and methotrexate. Results of therapy were evaluated after a mean interval of 533 days; 28 had complete regression of tumor, 1 had a partial response, and 1 had a minimal response.

Canine urolithiasis: retrospective analysis of 438 cases.

In a retrospective analysis of 438 cases of canine urolithiasis, a total of 561 urolithic episodes were found to have occurred in a 6 1/2-year period. The hospital incidence of urolithiasis during that period, defined as the proportion of dogs hospitalized with urolithiasis to the total number of dogs hospitalized, was 2.8%. The major chemical component of the calculus in 307 dogs was phosphate; in 95 dogs, cystine; in 21 dogs, urate; in 12 dogs, oxalate; and in 3 dogs, carbonate. The Miniature Schnauzer, Dachsund, Dalmatian, Pug, Bulldog, Welsh Corgi, Beagle, and Bassett Hound were breeds that had a significantly higher (P less than 0.05) incidence of calculi than did breeds of other dogs hospitalized. Predisposition for calculi, by sex, was not found. Most dogs with calculi were between 3 and 7 years old. Most calculi were radiopaque and were located in the bladder or in the bladder and urethra. Specimens for bacteriologic culture were obtained by catheterization or by swabbing of tissue at the surgical site. Of 259 specimens obtained, 181 were culture-positive. The most common organisms isolated were Staphylococcus spp, Escherichia coli, Proteus spp, Streptococcus spp, and Klebsiella spp. Most of the bacteria were sensitive to gentamicin, chloramphenicol, nitrofurantoin, cephalothin, and methanamine mandelate.

Recurrence of canine urolithiasis.

A retrospective analysis of urolithiasis in the dog was done at the Animal Medical Center, New York, NY, and involved a review of case records from Jan 1, 1968, to June 30, 1974. The study involved a total of 438 dogs that had a total of 561 urolithic episodes. Of the 438 dogs, 111 had 155 known recurrences of calculi. The types of recurrent calculi were phosphate (54 dogs), cystine (45 dogs), urate (7 dogs), oxalate (3 dogs), and carbonate (2 dogs). Two-thirds of the recurrent cases involved only 2 episodes. One-half of the population was composed of mixed breeds, Schnauzers, and Poodles. With the exception of 25 females that had phosphate calculi, all of the dogs with recurrences were males. Sixty-six dogs were tested for urinary bacteria and of these dogs, 40 had infected urinary tracts. The infected dogs had both phosphate and cystine calculi. In addition, most dogs with phosphate calculi had Staphylococcus infections, whereas the cultures from the dogs with cystine calculi had a wide range of bacteria.