The Relationship between Brachycephalic Head Features in Modern Persian Cats and Dysmorphologies of the Skull and Internal Hydrocephalus.

BACKGROUND: Cat breeders observed a frequent occurrence of internal hydrocephalus in Persian cats with extreme brachycephalic head morphology. OBJECTIVE: To investigate a possible relationship among the grade of brachycephaly, ventricular dilatation, and skull dysmorphologies in Persian cats. ANIMALS: 92 Persian-, 10 Domestic shorthair cats. METHODS: The grade of brachycephaly was determined on skull models based on CT datasets. Cranial measurements were examined with regard to a possible correlation with relative ventricular volume, and cranial capacity. Persians with high (peke-face Persians) and lower grades of brachycephaly (doll-face Persians) were investigated for the presence of skull dysmorphologies. RESULTS: The mean cranial index of the peke-face Persians (0.97 ± 0.14) was significantly higher than the mean cranial index of doll-face Persians (0.66 ± 0.04; P < 0.001). Peke-face Persians had a lower relative nasal bone length (0.15 ± 0.04) compared to doll-face (0.29 ± 0.08; P < 0.001). The endocranial volume was significantly lower in doll-face than peke-face Persians (89.6 ± 1.27% versus 91.76 ± 2.07%; P < 0.001). The cranial index was significantly correlated with this variable (Spearman's r: 0.7; P < 0.0001). Mean ventricle: Brain ratio of the peke-face group (0.159 ± 0.14) was significantly higher compared to doll-face Persians (0.015 ± 0.01; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: High grades of brachycephaly are also associated with malformations of the calvarial and facial bones as well as dental malformations. As these dysmorphologies can affect animal welfare, the selection for extreme forms of brachycephaly in Persian cats should be reconsidered.

Applicability of 99m Tc-Labeled Human Serum Albumin Scintigraphy in Dogs With Protein-Losing Enteropathy.

BACKGROUND: Diagnosis of protein loss into the gastrointestinal tract using noninvasive techniques is challenging. In people, scintigraphy not only is a sensitive tool to confirm protein-losing enteropathy (PLE), but it also allows for localization of protein loss. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: To investigate the feasibility of 99m Tc-labeled human serum albumin (HSA) scintigraphy in dogs with PLE in comparison with control dogs. ANIMALS: A total of 8 clinically healthy control research dogs and 7 client-owned dogs with gastrointestinal clinical signs and hypoalbuminemia (serum albumin concentration <2.0 g/dL). METHODS: Prospective case-control study. After IV injection of 400 MBq freshly prepared 99m Tc HSA (30 mg/dog), images of the abdomen were obtained 10, 60, 120, and 240 minutes postinjection. Additional images of the salivary and thyroid glands were obtained to rule out free 99m Tc. A scan was considered positive for PLE when radiopharmaceutical exudation was detectable in the intestinal tract. RESULTS: Only 1 control dog showed exudation of the radiopharmaceutical into the intestinal tract. No free 99m Tc was detected in any dog. In dogs with PLE, focal small intestinal and diffuse small intestinal radiopharmaceutical exudation into the bowel was detected in 2 and 3 dogs, respectively, whereas in 2 dogs, there was disagreement about whether radiopharmaceutical exudation was focal or diffuse. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: 99m Tc-labeled HSA scintigraphy was feasible to diagnose PLE in dogs.

[Ultrasonographic examination of the stifle joint in the dog. Part 2: Impaired wound healing and neoplastic, congenital, developmental, degenerative and traumatic disorders]. / Die sonographische Untersuchung des Kniegelenks beim Hund. Teil 2: Wundheilungsstörungen, Neoplasien, kongenitale, entwicklungsbedingte, degenerative und traumatische Veränderungen.

Ultrasonography is a cost-effective, non-invasive technique, which can be performed in conscious dogs. It frequently contributes valuable and even crucial diagnostic information in patients with lameness attributed to the stifle joint. Within the first part of this article, technical requirements and limitations as well as the standardized scanning protocol and ultrasonographic anatomy of the stifle joint are described. Additionally, ultrasonographic features of common pathologies of the stifle joint, including cranial cruciate ligament rupture and meniscal pathologies, are discussed. The second part of the article focuses on the ultrasonographic approach to other, less common pathologies of the canine stifle joint, including impaired wound healing and congenital, neoplastic, developmental and traumatic disorders.

[Ultrasonographic examination of the stifle joint in the dog. Part 1: ultrasonographic anatomy, standardized scanning protocol and common indications]. / Die sonographische Untersuchung des Kniegelenks beim Hund. Teil 1: anatomische Grundlagen, Untersuchungsgang und häufige Indikationen.

Ultrasonography is a cost-effective, non-invasive technique, which can be performed in conscious dogs. It frequently contributes valuable and even crucial diagnostic information in cases with hind limb lameness originating from the stifle joint. The first part of the article introduces the technical requirements and limitations as well as the standardized scanning protocol and ultrasonographic anatomy of the stifle joint. Ultrasonographic features encountered in common pathologies of the stifle joint (joint effusion, cranial cruciate ligament rupture and meniscal pathologies) are presented. Sonographic diagnostics of other pathologies of the canine stifle joint will be described in the second part of this article.

[Intraocular osteosarcoma in a dog]. / Intraokulare Manifestation eines Osteosarkoms bei einem Hund.

The present case describes the diagnostic and therapeutic procedure of a dog with an intraocular osteosarcoma. According to the results of the diagnostic imaging studies, the tentative diagnosis of an intraocular neoplasm with perforation of the globe and orbital invasion of the tumour was made and an orbital exenteration was performed. The histopathological diagnosis of the extracted organ implied an intraocular, extraskeletal osteosarcoma. Seventy-seven days later the patient displayed an acute paraparesis. Clinical and diagnostic reevaluation using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed and the dog was euthanized at the owner's request. By means of MRI and necropsy, an additional axial osteosarcoma of the 6th lumbar vertebra and a malignant melanoma of the right tonsil were diagnosed.

Co-occurrence of an intraventricular meningioma and cholesterol granuloma of the choroid plexus in a cat.

A 12-year-old domestic shorthair cat was presented with neurologic signs localized to the forebrain. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain revealed a space occupying lesion within the third and the lateral ventricles. The lesion had areas of disparate signal characteristics and exerted a mass effect on the surrounding parenchyma and ventricular system. The histologic examination identified the co-existence of two intraventricular masses: a meningioma and a choroid plexus cholesterol granuloma.

A potential role for substance P and interleukin-6 in the cerebrospinal fluid of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels with neuropathic pain.

BACKGROUND: Neuropathic pain can be a clinical sign in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (CKCS) with syringomyelia. The pathophysiology of this pain is not fully understood. HYPOTHESIS: Neuropathic pain in CKCS is a result of a neuroinflammatory process. ANIMALS: Twenty-six client-owned dogs: 15 dogs with clinical signs of cervical hyperesthesia (group 1), and 11 dogs without of clinical signs (group 2). METHODS: Dogs were examined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and substance P were measured in CSF and compared with morphological findings on MRI and clinical pain scores. RESULTS: All dogs without clinical signs had symmetrical syringomyelia, whereas in the group with pain, 6 dogs had symmetrical and 9 dogs had asymmetrical syringomyelia. Pain and syringomyelia asymmetry were correlated, and a strong association between pain and dorsal horn involvement of syringomyelia was observed. There was no significant difference between the mean width of the syringomyelia in dogs with or without pain. The concentrations of interleukin-6 and substance P were significantly higher in dogs with neuropathic pain. Tumor necrosis factor alpha was not detected in either group. Concentrations of substance P were significantly higher in dogs with asymmetrical syringomyelia or dorsal horn involvement, whereas interleukin-6 concentrations were not significantly different between groups. CONCLUSION: Release of interleukin-6 and substance P may initiate proinflammatory effects leading to development of persistent pain in CKCSs with syringomyelia.

Comparison of the relative occipital bone volume between Cavalier King Charles spaniels with and without syringohydromyelia and French bulldogs.

Our aim was to determine the relative volume of the occipital bone of Cavalier King Charles spaniels with and without syringohydromyelia and normal French bulldogs to reappraise the role of a possible insufficiency of the paraxial mesoderm in the pathogenesis of the caudal occipital malformation syndrome. Analysis of the occipital bone volume of 43 dogs based on computed tomography datasets was performed. Volume was determined by means of three-dimensional models. Using manual segmentation of the occipital bone in sagittal, transverse, and dorsal images, the volume of the occipital bone and the rest of the skull was calculated. The absolute occipital bone volume was put in relation to the total skull volume, the occipital bone index. For the Cavalier King Charles spaniels without syringomyelia, the median occipital bone index was 0.0681; for Cavalier King Charles spaniels with syringomyelia, it was 0.0646 and for French bulldogs, it was 0.0676. There was no global difference of the occipital bone index between examined groups (P = 0.4331). A reduced volume of the occipital bone was not found in Cavalier King Charles spaniels in general in comparison to French bulldogs, or in Cavalier King Charles spaniels with syringomyelia compared to Cavalier King Charles spaniels without syringomyelia. These results do not support occipital hypoplasia as a cause for syringomyelia development, challenging the paraxial mesoderm insufficiency theory. This also suggests that the term Chiari-like malformation, a term derived from human studies, is not appropriate in the Cavalier King Charles spaniel.

A study of the comparative anatomy of the brain of domestic ruminants using magnetic resonance imaging.

Although magnetic resonance imaging has been used to examine the brain of domestic ruminants, detailed information relating the precise anatomical features in these species is lacking. In this study the brain structures of calves (Bos taurus domesticus), sheep (Ovis aries), goats (Capra hircus) and a mesaticephalic dog (Canis lupis familiaris) were examined using T2-weighed Turbo Spin Echo sequences; three-dimensional models based on high-resolution gradient echo scans were used to identify brain sulci and gyri in two-dimensional images. The ruminant brains examined were similar in structure and organisation to those of other mammals but particular features included the deep depression of the insula and the pronounced gyri of the cortices, the dominant position of the visual (optic nerve, optic chiasm and rostral colliculus) and olfactory (olfactory bulb, olfactory tracts and piriform lobe) systems, and the relatively large size of the diencephalon.

[Diagnostic value of CT and MRI for the diagnosis of coronoid pathology in the dog]. / Diagnostische Wertigkeit von Computertomographie und Magnetresonanztomographie für die Diagnose einer Koronoiderkrankung beim Hund.

OBJECTIVE: The diagnostic value of CT and MRI regarding the diagnosis of coronoid pathology in the dog. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the elbow joint were performed in dogs with clinical and radiological signs of coronoid pathology. Afterwards, all dogs underwent arthroscopic surgery. For the computed tomographic examination, a 16-slice-CT-scanner spiral-CT (Philips Brilliance 16) was used. The MRI-examination was performed with a 1-Tesla superconducting magnet (Phillips Intera 1.0). T1 and T2 weighted images with different sequences were acquired. RESULTS: In total, 44 elbow joints from 44 patients (total of 12 breeds, including mixed breeds) were examined. The most represented breeds were Labrador Retrievers (38.6%, n=17), mixed breed dogs (22.7%, n=10) and Golden Retrievers (11.4%, n=5) were represented most. The age of the 30 male dogs (68%) and 14 female dogs (32%) ranged from 6 to 117 months (mean 2.25 years). Using CT, the following results could be evaluated: a) fissure at the level of the Processus coronoideus medialis ulnae (PCM) in 66% (n=29); b) fragments at the level of the PCM in 55% (n=24); c) deformation at the level of the PCM in all 44 joints; d) increased opacity at the level of the base of the PCM in all 44 joints; e) heterogenous opacity at the apex of the PCM in 91% (n=41). With MRI, the following results could be evaluated: a) fissure at the level of the PCM in 59% (n=26); b) fragments at the level of the PCM in 57% (n=25); c) deformation at the level of the PCM in 86% (n=38); d) increased opacity at the level of the base of the PCM, thus making assessment impossible; e) heterogenous opacity at the apex of the PCM, thus making assessment impossible. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Both diganostic imaging modalities are appropriate for evaluating coronoid pathology in the dog.