Reverse Saphenous Conduit Flap in Cats: An Anatomic Study

The vascular anatomy of the reverse saphenous conduit flap in cats was denned by contrast radiography of both hindlimbs of 18 feline cadaver specimens. In all 36 flaps, flow of contrast medium from the femoral artery to the distal end of the flap was documented. Direct anastomosis of the superficial branch of the cranial tibial artery with the cranial branch of the saphenous artery and communication of the caudal branch of the saphenous artery with the perforating metatarsal artery, via the medial and lateral plantar arteries, was documented. The cranial branch of the medial saphenous vein was shown to anastomose with the cranial branch of the lateral saphenous vein. The presence of these anastomoses support the feasibility of the reverse saphenous conduit flap as an option for reconstruction of wounds of the metatarsus in cats.     

COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY AND RADIOGRAPHIC INDIRECT LYMPHOGRAPHY FOR VISUALIZATION OF MAMMARY LYMPHATIC VESSELS AND THE SENTINEL LYMPH NODE IN NORMAL CATS

The potential of computed tomography indirect lymphography (CT‐indirect lymphography) and radiographic indirect lymphography to demonstrate the draining lymphatic vessels and sentinel lymph node of normal mammary glands was tested in 31 healthy female cats. The lymphatic drainage of each mammary gland was studied initially by CT‐indirect lymphography after intramammary injection of 0.5 ml of iopamidol, followed by images acquired at 1, 5, 15, and 30 min after injection. One day after CT‐indirect lymphography, the lymph drainage of the mammary gland was assessed using radiographic indirect lymphography after intramammary injection of 0.5 ml of ethiodized oil followed by radiographs made at 1, 5, 15, 30, 45, and 60 min after injection. The time between intramammary injection and opacification of the draining mammary lymphatic vessels and the sentinel lymph node, the duration of adequate opacification of the draining mammary lymphatic vessels and of the sentinel lymph node and also the number and course of draining mammary lymphatic vessels and location of sentinel lymph node were compared for CT‐indirect lymphography vs. radiographic indirect lymphography in each examined gland. This results suggest that radiographic indirect lymphography is easy to perform and can be used for accurate demonstration of the draining lymphatic pathways of mammary glands in radiographs made at 5–30 min after injection. However, CT‐indirect lymphography was able to better demonstrate small lymphatic vessels and accurately define the exact topography of the sentinel lymph node in images acquired at 1 min after injection.     

An Analysis of Household Valuations and Preference Structures in Rio de Janeiro,Brazil

This paper applies a semi-logarithmic hedonic model to a sample of 1,115 households drawn from low-, moderate-, and upper-income regions in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in order to measure household valuations of a variety of dwelling attributes. The results: 1) allow an assessment of the predictive power of the hedonic function; 2) enable a determination of whether the data provide sufficient information on housing conditions in Rio to make hedonic estimations worthwhile; and 3) provide an important spatial dimension which is useful in evaluating the relative importance of a variety of housing attributes to households located across income sub-regions in Rio. The study demonstrates the need to strategically design housing projects that are consistent with the preference structures of intended beneficiaries. This, in turn, should facilitate the design of more efficient and equitable cost recovery affordable housing programs in developing countries.     

Biomechanical Analysis of Torsion and Shear Forces in Lumbar and Lumbosacral Spine Segments of Nonchondrodystrophic Dogs

Objective— To determine stiffness and load–displacement curves as a biomechanical response to applied torsion and shear forces in cadaveric canine lumbar and lumbosacral specimens.
Study Design— Biomechanical study.
Animals— Caudal lumbar and lumbosacral functional spine units (FSU) of nonchondrodystrophic large-breed dogs (n=31) with radiographically normal spines.
Methods— FSU from dogs without musculoskeletal disease were tested in torsion in a custom-built spine loading simulator with 6 degrees of freedom, which uses orthogonally mounted electric motors to apply pure axial rotation. For shear tests, specimens were mounted to a custom-made shear-testing device, driven by a servo hydraulic testing machine. Load–displacement curves were recorded for torsion and shear.
Results— Left and right torsion stiffness was not different within each FSU level; however, torsional stiffness of L7-S1 was significantly smaller compared with lumbar FSU (L4-5–L6-7).
Ventral/dorsal stiffness was significantly different from lateral stiffness within an individual FSU level for L5-6, L6-7, and L7-S1 but not for L4-5. When the data from 4 tested shear directions from the same specimen were pooled, level L5-6 was significantly stiffer than L7-S1.
Conclusions— Increased range of motion of the lumbosacral joint is reflected by an overall decreased shear and rotational stiffness at the lumbosacral FSU.
Clinical Relevance— Data from dogs with disc degeneration have to be collected, analyzed, and compared with results from our chondrodystrophic large-breed dogs with radiographically normal spines.