Evaluation of an Interfragmentary Compression System for the Repair of Equine Femoral Capital Physeal Fractures

Femoral neck and proximal epiphyseal lengths were measured in 37 femurs from 19 cadaver foals that were 1 day to 12 months old to determine the applicability of a human interfragmentary compression system to equine femoral capital physeal fractures. Because components of the implant system are available only in fixed sizes, its use was possible in foals older than 5 weeks of age, but not in younger foals. The 135 degree angle plate conformed best to the equine femur. Femoral capital physeal fractures were created surgically and repaired with the implant system in three foals. Fracture stability was evident clinically and radiographically in all three foals until euthanasia at month 3. At necropsy, the treated femurs were 4, 8, and 27 mm shorter than their mates. Epiphyseal viability was verified in all three foals by tetracycline deposition and new appositional bone growth comparable with that in the contralateral control epiphyses. The treated capital physis was open but reduced in thickness in one foal, disorganized in one foal, and closed in one foal. Fixation by compression with the implant system resulted in stability sufficient for fracture healing and maintenance of epiphyseal viability, although it was associated with reduced longitudinal femoral growth.     

IMAGING OF THE CANINE AND FELINE TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINT: A REVIEW

The radiographic anatomy of the temporomandibular joint in the dog and cat is described in dorsoventral and oblique projections. The positioning for different oblique views in conventional radiography and technical details of computed tomography are reviewed. Typical radiographic features of craniomandibular osteopathy, dysplasia, luxation, subluxation, fractures, ankylosis, degenerative joint disease, infection, and neoplasia involving the temporomandibular joint are discussed.     

RADIOGRAPHIC IMAGING OF OTITIS MEDIA AND INTERNA IN PIGS

Middle and inner ear infections have been reported as a clinical entity in swine, other animal species and humans. In pigs, the anatomical-pathological and microbiological findings have been described. In this report, we describe radiographic findings in affected pigs. A total of 25 pigs with a head tilt and circling, as clinical signs of otitis media and interna, were examined. The majority were weaner-pigs with dyspnea or rhinitis. In radiographs, there was an increased opacity of the bulla tympanica, often accompanied by marginal destruction or thickening of the bulla wall. The radiographic findings confirmed the clinical diagnosis in each affected pig, but there were 5 false positive interpretations.     

THE UPPER GASTROINTESTINAL EXAMINATION IN THE CAT: NORMAL RADIOGRAPHIC APPEARANCE USING POSITIVE CONTRAST MEDIUM

The normal radiographic appearance of the feline upper gastrointestinal (UGI) examination following oral administration of barium sulfate suspensions was described. Important findings included the minimal gastric air and small bowel gas present on survey abdominal radiographs. Gastric appearance was nearly constant. A normal duodenal pattern, referred to as a "string of pearls", was described. Small bowel lumen size was consistently less than 12 mm. Small bowel mucosal patterns varied widely. The most commonly identified normal radiographic UGI patterns in this study were found consistently in a group of 26 cats thought to be without gastrointestinal disease. Because of the consistency of observation of many radiographic patterns, rapid gastric emptying, and a short small bowel transit time, normal UGI examinations in the cat present a more constant appearance than in the dog, thus making them more valuable as well as easier to conduct.     

LOW-FIELD MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING OF A PYOCEPHALUS AND A SUSPECTED BRAIN ABSCESS IN A GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG

Magnetic resonance imaging was performed on an eight-year-old, neutered female German Shepherd dog with a history of acute depression, inappetence, and hyperthermia. A lesion in the cerebrum was suspected. Possible differential diagnoses were meningoencephalitis, neoplasia, and vascular lesion (infarction, bleeding). A ring enhancing lesion was found in the basal ganglia on the left side with edema of the surrounding brain tissue. A similar mass lesion was present in the right pterygoid musculature. With inversion recovery sequences an altered composition of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the left lateral ventricle could be detected. CSF analysis confirmed a pyocephalus, probably due to rupture of a brain abscess into the left lateral ventricle.     

A RATIONAL APPROACH TO THE USE OF DRUGS FOR SEDATION AND RESTRAINT OF THE LARGER MAMMALS

During the last decade, a number of drugs have become available which, when used separately, or when combined with another have facilitated the handling and movement of nervous or aggressive animals. These drugs are usually grouped according to their principal properties into narcotics, such as Etorphine and Fentanyl, sedatives such as Azaperone and Xylazine and anaesthetics such as Phencyclidine and Alphaxalone. This is a somewhat loose terminology as the properties of a number of these agents when used at different dose rates or in different species may place them into more than one of these groups. Knowledge of the clinical pharmacology of these drugs and of the different responses found amongst the various orders of mammals is necessary if the effect required is to be accurately and safely obtained. Narcotics for instance are contra-indicated in the Felidae on account of their severe excitatory side-effects but in some carnivore families the milder side-effects can be overcome by combining the narcotic with a sedative. This paper sets out to describe these different effects and to show that an understanding of them is important when selecting the appropriate drugs for a particular case.     

山羊精液冷冻保存与应用技术的研究

1985-1987年对江苏白山羊精液颗粒冷冻保存技术与应用效果进行了研究,试验结果表明:稀释液中甘油最终浓度以1.5％最好,始冻温度-145℃为佳,40-41℃解冻温度好,冻精颗粒0.1±0.01ml加 0.4ml解冻液解冻,输精剂量 0.5ml,每情期输精2次,一次情期受胎率达74.1％,与自然配种相比,受胎率无明显差异,而窝平产羔数比自然配种多0.33只.     

Diagnostic techniques and sample collection

With the advancing knowledge of medicine, diagnostic techniques and laboratory equipment, practicing veterinary surgeons are increasingly capable of processing many of their patients' blood, urine, and tissue samples on-site. No case is better suited to this scenario than the dermatology case, which enjoys a unique privilege in the clinic because the clinician is frequently able to harvest, process, and analyze pathologic samples from affected animals during or shortly after the consultation, eliminating the need to wait for results from external laboratories and consequently reducing the time to recovery. Good sampling techniques are crucial for the acquisition of optimal data however, and this article highlights the key points of these procedures and recommends when they are best employed.