Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in owl monkeys (Aotus spp.).

Cardiac hypertrophy is a common postmortem finding in owl monkeys. In most cases the animals do not exhibit clinical signs until the disease is advanced, making antemortem diagnosis of subclinical disease difficult and treatment unrewarding. We obtained echocardiograms, electrocardiograms, and thoracic radiographs from members of a colony of owl monkeys that previously was identified as showing a 40% incidence of gross myocardial hypertrophy at necropsy, to assess the usefulness of these modalities for antemortem diagnosis.

Effects of acepromazine maleate and phenoxybenzamine on urethral pressure profiles of anesthetized, healthy, sexually intact male cats.

Objectives: To evaluate the effects of 2 compounds with alpha adrenergic antagonist properties on the urethral pressures of anesthetized, healthy, sexually intact male cats, and to evaluate one of the compounds for effect on striated muscle.

Animals: 20 healthy, sexually intact male cats.

Procedure: Cats were anesthetized with halothane, and urethral pressure profilometry was performed before and after treatment.

Urethral pressure response to smooth and skeletal muscle relaxants in anesthetized, adult male cats with naturally acquired urethral obstruction.

The effects of the skeletal muscle-relaxing drug dantrolene sodium alone, and in combination with the alpha 1-adrenergic antagonist prazosin, on the urethral pressure profile were investigated in male cats with obstructive lower urinary tract disease. Decreases in mean segmental intraurethral pressure induced by dantrolene (n = 3) or dantrolene in combination with prazosin (n = 3) were evaluated statistically, using a paired design. Statistical analysis was applied to absolute (mm of Hg) pressure values.

Effect of succinylcholine, diazepam, and dantrolene on the urethral pressure profile of anesthetized, healthy, sexually intact male cats.

Effects of the neuromuscular blocking agent succinylcholine (n = 9), the centrally acting skeletal muscle relaxant diazepam (n = 11), and the directacting skeletal muscle relaxant dantrolene sodium (n = 8) on the urethral pressure profile were evaluated in anesthetized, healthy, sexually intact, adult male cats. Intravenous administration of succinylcholine (0.075 mg/kg of body weight) significantly decreased mean absolute pressure in the prostatic and post-prostatic/penile intraurethral segments by -9.

Urethral pressure response to alpha-adrenergic agonist and antagonist drugs in anesthetized healthy male cats.

Urethral smooth muscle tone in response to treatment with phenylephrine, a selective alpha 1-adrenergic receptor agonist, and prazosin a selective alpha 1-adrenergic receptor antagonist, was evaluated in 12 anesthetized healthy adult sexually intact male cats. Intravenous administration of prazosin (20 to 30 micrograms/kg of body weight) decreased the average preprostatic and prostatic intraurethral pressure, compared with baseline and postphenylephrine (20 to 30 micrograms/kg) administration, values. Neither prazosin nor phenylephrine administration had an effect on functional urethral length.