Evaluation of the Blood Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) as a Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarker in Dogs with Portosystemic Shunt.

The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) can help in assessing inflammatory diseases, sepsis, and chronic hepatic conditions in humans. Dogs with congenital portosystemic shunts (PSSs) have signs of generalized inflammation, and the clinical signs can overlap with other conditions, including hypoadrenocorticism (HOC). Thus, the potential diagnostic and prognostic value of leukocyte ratios as surrogate markers was assessed in a retrospective case-control study including 106 dogs diagnosed with PSSs.

Diagnostic benefits of platelet-to-lymphocyte, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte, and albumin-to-globulin ratios in dogs with nasal cavity diseases.

Background: A multimodal approach for diagnostic tests under anesthesia is required to diagnose nasal cavity pathology (NP) reliably in dogs. Blood test results may provide clues to the suspected NP.

Methods: This prospective blinded study assessed 72 dogs with chronic nasal discharge due to NPs, and 10 healthy dogs as the control group (CG).

[Inhalation anesthesia in the cat: Development of cuff pressure when using nitrous oxide].

Objective: During inhalation anesthesia with nitrous oxide in oxygen the pressure in the cuff of the endotracheal tube may increase due to diffusion of nitrous oxide into the cuff. The aim of the study was to investigate the development of cuff pressure during nitrous oxide anesthesia under clinical conditions in feline patients and to identify possible influencing factors such as tube size and gas flow rate.

Material And Methods: The prospective study included cats scheduled for inhalation anesthesia with nitrous oxide for a minimum duration of 60 minutes at the Department for Small Animals of the University of Leipzig.

Variation of rectal temperature in dogs undergoing 3T-MRI in general anesthesia.

Objectives: Managing body temperature during MRI scanning under general anesthesia poses challenges for both human and veterinary patients, as many temperature monitoring devices and patient warming systems are unsuitable for the use inside an MRI scanner. MRI has the potential to cause tissue and body warming, but this effect may be counteracted by the hypothermia induced by general anesthesia and the low ambient temperature usually encountered in scanner rooms. This study aimed to observe temperature variations in dogs undergoing MRI under general anesthesia.

[A multifactorial risk index for evaluation of anesthetic risk in dogs: the LeiV-Risk-Index].

Objective: The Leipzig Veterinary Risk-Index - "LeiV-Risk-Index" is a multifactorial risk index developed to enable an improved objective assessment of the anesthetic risk in dogs. The scoring system is based on 10 risk factors affecting perioperative mortality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the applicability of the LeiV-Risk-Index and its risk factors as well as to perform a direct comparison with the ASA-classification.

Xylazine or detomidine in dairy calves: a comparison of clinically relevant pharmacodynamic parameters under sedation.

Objective: Chemical restraint in dairy calves is necessary to enable diagnostic and surgical procedures. It is unclear whether xylazine or detomidine differ with regard to desirable and unwanted effects.

Material And Methods: In a prospective randomized interventional study, 10 healthy Holstein-Friesian calves (age range 3-6 month) were sedated with either xylazine (0.

[Study on preanesthetic risk evaluation in dogs using the ASA-classification system in Germany].

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of anesthetic risk evaluation in dogs by using the ASA-classification system (ASA = American Society of Anesthesiologists). In human medicine, several studies criticize ranking patients prior to anesthesia via the ASA-classification due to its subjectivity and substantial variance. This study intends to detect and analyze possible comparable effects when applying the ASA-classification system to dogs.

[Evaluation of the accuracy of volume navigation of sonography and computed tomography using a phantom].

Background And Objective: In case of superimpositions of gas in the gastrointestinal tract or the ribs, tissue changes well detectable on computed tomography (CT) cannot be identified sonographically in a number of cases. Combining ultrasonography and CT provides enhanced information compared to sole sonography and volume navigation may be used as an effective tool. Tissue samples easily and safely obtained under sonographic guidance are often necessary to confirm the diagnosis of a suspicious focus.

[Contrast-enhanced ultrasound at a rare bilateral renal carcinoma with secondary inflammation and necrosis in a cat].

A 17-year-old male neutered domestic short hair cat was presented because of anorexia. The clinical examination revealed no abnormalities. Using sonography, mainly hypoechoic mass lesions at the level of the cortex and capsule were detected in both kidneys.

[Nephroblastoma in a 2-year-old female dog].

An intact female 2-year-old boxer presented with polydipsia, polyuria, and decreased feed intake. Palpation of the abdomen was painful. Sonography revealed an abdominal mass of the left kidney causing displacement of the organs located in the cranial and mid-abdomen.

[Multiple choristoma and a myelolipoma in a Sheltie].

An 11-year-old female Sheltie was presented with inappetence and a progressive increase in abdominal distention. Abdominal ultrasound revealed a large cystic mass in the midabdomen and cystic lesions in the right liver lobe and in the caudal pole of the left kidney. Histopathologic examination of the resected tissue revealed a myelolipoma of the spleen, dispersed splenic tissue in the liver and dispersed uterine and salpinx tissues in the kidney.

[Complications of ultrasound-guided liver biopsies in dogs and cats].

Objective: Ultrasound-guided biopsies are obtained generally to reach a sound diagnosis in the case of sonographically detectable hepatic changes. The most common and well-known complication associated with ultrasound-guided biopsies is haemorrhage after sampling, which may lead to the patient's death. The aim of this study was to evaluate a possible association between alterations in the coagulation parameters and sonographically observable haemorrhage following liver biopsies.

Vascular surgery of aortic thrombosis in a dog using Fogarty maneuver - technical feasibility.

Aortic thromboembolism is a rare and life-threatening disease in dogs. This report aims to describe the successful surgical treatment by use of a Fogarty Thrombectomy Catheter in an 8-year-old patient. The postsurgical intensive care therapy to prevent ischemia-reperfusion syndrome is specified, despite poor outcome in our case (owner elected euthanasia).

[Anaesthesia for canine caesarean section - an evidence-based approach].

In recent years, several new studies on anaesthesia for caesarean section have been published. This paper refers to these and ground-breaking research on risk factors affecting the puppies. Based on the available evidence, a recommendation for an anaesthetic procedure is given and in addition, alternatives are discussed.

A Novel Approach to Brachycephalic Syndrome. 1. Evaluation of Anatomical Intranasal Airway Obstruction.

Objective: To evaluate airway obstruction due to abnormal intranasal anatomy in 3 brachycephalic dog breeds using computed tomography and rhinoscopy.

Study Design: Prospective clinical study.

Animals: A total of 132 brachycephalic dogs (66 Pugs, 55 French Bulldogs, and 11 English Bulldogs) with severe respiratory distress due to brachycephalic syndrome.

Development and Evaluation of Two Canine Low-Fidelity Simulation Models.

Two self-made low-fidelity models for simulation of canine intubation and canine female urinary catheterization were developed and evaluated. We used a study design that compares acquired skills of two intervention groups and one control group in a practical examination. Fifty-eight second-year veterinary medicine students received a theoretical introduction to intubation and were randomly divided into three groups.

Extrapolation in the analysis of lung aeration by computed tomography: a validation study.

Introduction: Computed tomography (CT) is considered the gold standard for quantification of global or regional lung aeration and lung mass. Quantitative CT, however, involves the exposure to ionizing radiation and requires manual image processing. We recently evaluated an extrapolation method which calculates quantitative CT parameters characterizing the entire lung from only 10 reference CT-slices thereby reducing radiation exposure and analysis time.

[Comparison of different applications of the sonographic contrast medium Levovist].

The influence of the application modes (bolus injection, infusion) of the sonographic signal enhancers Levovist was investigated in a total of 24 dogs. The animals in the bolus group were given 0.2 ml/kg body mass Levovist at a concentration of 300 mg/ml while in the other group the same amount was continuously injected over a time of two minutes.

Continuous lumbar hemilaminectomy for intervertebral disc disease in an Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica).

A 13-yr-old Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) was presented for an acute onset of paraplegia. Spinal imaging that included plain radiographs, myelography, and computed tomography performed under general anesthesia revealed lateralized spinal cord compression at the intervertebral disc space L4-5 caused by intervertebral disc extrusion. This extrusion was accompanied by an extensive epidural hemorrhage from L3 to L6.

Is routine pre-anaesthetic haematological and biochemical screening justified in dogs?

Objectives: To determine if routine haematological and biochemical screening is of benefit in dogs requiring anaesthesia and to establish the most useful tests for pre-anaesthetic risk assessment.

Animals: One thousand five hundred and thirty-seven client-owned dogs undergoing surgery at the University of Leipzig between January 2003 and April 2004.

Materials And Methods: After obtaining a standardized history and a physical examination, all dogs requiring anaesthesia were assigned to an ASA physical status group, their needs for pre-anaesthetic therapy determined and an anaesthetic protocol proposed.

Magnetic resonance imaging and pathologic findings associated with necrotizing encephalitis in two Yorkshire terriers.

Two young adult Yorkshire terriers had neurologic signs consistent with forebrain and brainstem involvement or forebrain involvement alone. On magnetic resonance imaging studies there were asymmetric bilateral lesions mainly in the cerebral cortex, and in the diencephalon. These areas were hyperintense on T2-weighted and FLAIR images, but hypointense or isointense on T1-weighted images.