Abdominocentesis techniques in horses.

BACKGROUND: Abdominocentesis is commonly used to evaluate the abdominal cavity of the horse. This technique provides valuable diagnostic information as well as the means to monitor patients with abdominal diseases being managed medically and to determine their need for surgical management. Complications are uncommon and include trauma to the gastrointestinal tract or spleen, septic peritonitis, or abdominal wall infection. PROCEDURES: This review describes the indications, utility, patient preparation, and instructions for performing abdominocentesis as well as possible complications reported in horses. Step-by-step instructions are provided for the two most commonly used abdominocentesis techniques in horses, which include the use of a needle (18 Ga, 3.8 cm [1.5 in]) and a teat cannula (9.5 cm [3.75 in]). SUMMARY: Peritoneal fluid collection and fluid analysis can be used to confirm diagnosis of intraabdominal pathology including inflammatory, infectious, neoplastic, obstructive, and bowel strangulation, leading to additional diagnostic and therapeutic plans. KEY POINTS: Abdominocentesis is useful as a diagnostic procedure in horses suffering from colic, diarrhea, weight loss, or other conditions involving the abdominal cavity and is an integral component of diagnostic testing for colic at referral institutions or in the field. Abdominal fluid collection using an 18-Ga, 3.8-cm (1.5-in) needle is recommended for adult horses because the needle is long enough to penetrate the peritoneal cavity. The teat cannula technique is recommended for use in adult horses, foals, and miniature horses to reduce the risk of enterocentesis, even though this procedure is more traumatic than using an 18-Ga, 3.8-cm needle. Ultrasonography of the abdomen is a valuable tool in the assessment of any horse with signs of colic, but it is not essential for performing an abdominocentesis successfully.

Outcome following neurectomy of the deep branch lateral plantar nerve and plantar fasciotomy for hindlimb proximal suspensory desmopathy in western performance horses: 21 cases.

OBJECTIVE: To report the outcome of horses used in western performance disciplines after deep branch lateral plantar neurectomy/fasciotomy surgery for hind limb proximal suspensory desmopathy (PSD). STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective analysis. SAMPLE POPULATION: Twenty-one client-owned horses. METHODS: Medical records were reviewed (2009-2019) for horses involved in western performance disciplines that had been treated with deep branch lateral plantar neurectomy and plantar fasciotomy for lameness due to hind limb PSD. Follow-up was obtained by reexamination and/or verbal interviews with owners >2 years postoperatively. RESULTS: Sixteen quarter horses and five paints were used for western pleasure (14/21), barrel racing (2/21), cutting (1/21), steer wrestling (1/21), working cow horse (1/21), team roping (1/21) and reining (1/21). A median duration of 8 months was required before horses were able to resume training or athletic work. Nine horses were able to return to a similar or higher level of athletic use, nine horses returned to a lower level of athletic performance, and three horses could not return to intended function. Owner satisfaction with outcome after the procedure was high (16/21), average (3/21), and low (2/21). CONCLUSION: Deep branch lateral plantar neurectomy and plantar fasciotomy allowed most horses to resume some athletic function as western performance horses. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: These results provide evidence of potential outcomes when considering surgical treatment of hind limb PSD in western performance horses.

Higher body mass index may increase the risk for the development of incisional complications in horses following emergency ventral midline celiotomy.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is common in the equine population and it has been associated with increased surgical morbidity and mortality in humans. The effect of increased body mass index (BMI) on the incidence of surgical site infections has not been investigated in horses. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether horses with increased body fat, as estimated by BMI, are more likely to develop post-operative complications, particularly incisional complications, following emergency ventral midline celiotomy. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective, multi-institutional clinical study. METHODS: Medical records of horses >2 years old presenting with colic that underwent ventral midline celiotomy between January 2010 and September 2018 with follow-up of a minimum of 30 post-operative days were reviewed. Extracted data included signalment, operative details and outcome. BMI was calculated by dividing the patient's weight (kg) by the withers height squared (m2 ). RESULTS: In all, 287 horses fit inclusion criteria. Incisional complication prevalence was 23.7%. Horses with incisional complications had a higher BMI (median 203.6 kg/m2 , IQR = 191.5-217.4) compared with those without (median 199.1 kg/m2 , IQR = 184.7-210.2) (P = .03). Multi-variable analysis of the effects of age, sex, breed and presence of metabolic disease on the association between BMI and risk of incisional complications, identified a tendency towards increased risk with a higher BMI, but statistical significance decreased to P = .07. Breed had an association with BMI (P < .01), but not with incisional complication risk. MAIN LIMITATIONS: BMI as an estimate of body fat has limitations. Retrospective studies with reliance on owners reporting data and complete medical records is imperfect. When the data were subjected to multi-variable analysis, the trend towards an increased incidence of incisional complications in horses with higher BMI persisted but it was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Higher BMI may increase the risk for the development of incisional complications in horses following emergency ventral midline celiotomy.

Surgical treatment of chronic penile prolapse in Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs: 5 cases (2016-2017).

OBJECTIVE: To describe the surgical treatment and short- and long-term outcome of young pot-bellied pigs with penile prolapse. STUDY DESIGN: Short case series. ANIMALS: Five young castrated Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs. METHODS: Five Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs presented with penile prolapse of several weeks duration. No other abnormalities were found at physical examination. Under general anesthesia, phallopexy with or without combined urethropexy was performed successfully in all cases. RESULTS: All pigs were discharged from the hospital. One pig required a second urethropexy the day after the initial surgery to improve positioning of the penis in the prepuce. Long-term outcome was available in 4 cases. Penile prolapse resolved in the 4 cases available for follow-up, and the owners were satisfied with the cosmetic outcome of the procedure. CONCLUSION: Penile prolapse was successfully corrected in 5 pot-bellied pigs by using 2 different phallopexy techniques. The procedure was combined with urethropexy in 3 pigs. Long-term outcome was excellent in the 4 cases available for follow-up. CLINICAL IMPACT: This is the first report describing the use of phallopexy with or without urethropexy for successful treatment of penile prolapse in young pot-bellied pigs. Two different phallopexy techniques were effectively used in this report. The etiology of penile prolapse in pot-bellied pigs remains unknown.

Uterine carcinosarcoma (malignant mixed Müllerian tumor): case report in a goat and literature review.

Carcinosarcomas are biphasic malignant tumors composed of 2 distinct neoplastic cell populations, epithelial cells and mesenchymal cells. A 13-y-old, female, mixed-breed goat was presented with a 1-wk history of anuria and lethargy. Transabdominal ultrasonography showed an irregular and heterogeneous structure in the region of the bladder and uterus and changes in the echogenicity of both kidneys. Given the poor prognosis, euthanasia was elected. Autopsy revealed a large mass within the uterine cervix and confirmed the changes in the urinary tract. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry revealed a mixed, anti-cytokeratin AE1/AE3-positive epithelial, and vimentin-positive mesenchymal neoplasm consistent with a homologous carcinosarcoma, also called malignant mixed Müllerian tumor, with areas of double-labeling. We highlight the complexity of the diagnosis of uterine neoplasms in domestic animals and in goats in particular.

Clinical features, treatment, and outcome in goats with thymomas: 13 cases (1990-2014).

OBJECTIVE To determine the anatomic location and clinical signs of thymoma in goats and long-term outcomes in a subset of goats treated by tumor excision. DESIGN Retrospective case series. ANIMALS 13 goats with a histologic diagnosis of thymoma at the Cornell University Hospital for Animals between 1990 and 2014. PROCEDURES Medical records of goats with thymoma were reviewed and data were evaluated regarding signalment, clinical signs, diagnostic imaging results, thymoma size, treatment, and outcome. Follow-up information was obtained via contact with the owners and review of medical records. RESULTS 8 goats had a mediastinal mass, 4 had a palpable ventral cervical mass, and 1 had both types of masses. Median age at the time of diagnosis was 9.5 years (range, 3 to 12 years). Goats with a mediastinal mass had respiratory distress or marked tachypnea. Six goats were treated surgically, including all 5 with a ventral cervical mass. All 5 goats with a ventral cervical mass survived with no tumor recurrence for ≥ 1 year after excision. Only 2 goats with a mediastinal mass survived to hospital discharge. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results suggested that the prognosis for goats following excision of ventral cervical thymomas was favorable, whereas goats with mediastinal thymomas appeared more likely to have severe clinical signs and a guarded prognosis.

Antigenicity of mesenchymal stem cells in an inflamed joint environment.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether major histocompatability complex (MHC) class II expression in equine mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) changes with exposure to a proinflammatory environment reflective of an inflamed joint. SAMPLE Cryopreserved bone marrow-derived MSCs from 12 horses and cartilage and synovium samples from 1 horse euthanized for reasons other than lameness. PROCEDURES In part 1 of a 3-part study, the suitability of a quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR) assay for measurement of MHC class II expression in MSCs following stimulation with interferon (IFN)-γ was assessed. In part 2, synoviocyte-cartilage cocultures were or were not stimulated with interleukin (IL)-1ß (10 ng/mL) to generate conditioned media that did and did not (control) mimic an inflamed joint environment. In part 3, a qRT-PCR assay was used to measure MSC MHC class II expression after 96 hours of incubation with 1 of 6 treatments (control-conditioned medium, IL-1ß-conditioned medium, and MSC medium alone [untreated control] or with IL-1ß [10 ng/mL], tumor necrosis factor-α [10 ng/mL], or IFN-γ [100 ng/mL]). RESULTS The qRT-PCR assay accurately measured MHC class II expression. Compared with MHC class II expression for MSCs exposed to the untreated control medium, that for MSCs exposed to IL-1ß was decreased, whereas that for MSCs exposed to IFN-γ was increased. Neither the control-conditioned nor tumor necrosis factor-α medium altered MHC class II expression. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results indicated that MSC exposure to proinflammatory cytokine IL-1ß decreased MHC class II expression and antigenicity. Treatment of inflamed joints with allogeneic MSCs might not be contraindicated, but further investigation is warranted.