Challenging diagnostic work-up of a massive fluid-filled structure in the cranial abdomen of a cat.

A 9-year-old female, neutered European shorthair cat was presented with acute vomiting, obvious jaundice and painful enlargement of the abdomen. Icteric skin and mucous membranes in addition to severe bilirubinaemia (mainly direct bilirubin) and a large increase in liver enzyme activities were the main findings at the initial examination. Radio- and ultrasonographic evaluation revealed a massive fluid-filled structure caudal to the liver displacing abdominal organs, in particular the stomach.

Electrocution as an alternative euthanasia method to blunt force trauma to the head followed by exsanguination for non-viable piglets.

Background: On farms, the currently approved and most widely practised method of euthanising non-viable piglets is blunt force trauma to the head followed by exsanguination. However, the use of this method is criticised due to public perceptions and aversion to the methodology by caretakers. Therefore, electrocution after electrical stunning was examined as an alternative approach in 80 hybrid piglets.

Meningoencephalomyelitis of Unknown Origin in Cats: A Case Series Describing Clinical and Pathological Findings.

Unlabelled: Meningoencephalomyelitis of unknown origin (MUO) is an umbrella term describing inflammatory changes of the central nervous system (CNS) with suspected non-infectious etiology. Diagnosis of MUO mostly remains presumed in a clinical setting. Histopathological and immunohistochemical examination of CNS tissue represent additional tools for detection of inflammation and the exclusion of specific infectious agents.

A structural UGDH variant associated with standard Munchkin cats.

Background: Munchkin cats were founded on a naturally occurring mutation segregating into long-legged and short-legged types. Short-legged cats showed disproportionate dwarfism (chondrodysplasia) in which all four legs are short and are referred as standard Munchkin cats. Long-legged animals are referred as non-standard Munchkin cats.

Bilateral femoral capital physeal fractures in an adult cat with suspected congenital primary hypothyroidism.

A 4-year-old, neutered male European shorthair was presented for evaluation of right hind limb lameness. Radiographs revealed bilateral femoral capital physeal fractures, widened vertebral growth plates and constipation. Physical findings included lethargy, mental dullness, mild hypothermia, retarded growth, pharyngeal stridor, moderate muscle atrophy of pelvic limbs, hair coat abnormalities, and lack of defecation and urination.

Intervertebral disc herniation in two coatis (Nasua nasua) and postoperative laminectomy membrane formation.

Magnetic resonance imaging revealed spinal cord compression due to intervertebral disc herniation of Hansen type I and II in the thoracolumbar vertebral column in two middle-aged coatis () with chronic progressive paraparesis. Surgical treatment included hemilaminectomy and partial corpectomy in one and dorsal laminectomy in the other coati. Both coatis recovered well after surgery.

Measurement of single kidney glomerular filtration rate in dogs using dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging and the Rutland-Patlak plot technique.

Background: Nephropathies are among the most common diseases in dogs. Regular examination of the kidney function plays an important role for an adequate treatment scheme. The determination of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is seen as the gold standard in assessing the kidney status.

Chronic post-traumatic intramedullary lesions in dogs, a translational model.

Objectives: Post-traumatic intramedullary myelopathies and cavitations are well described lesions following spinal cord injury (SCI) in humans and have been described in histopathological evaluations in dogs. Human intramedullary myelopathies/cavitations are associated with severe initial SCI and deterioration of clinical signs. Canine intervertebral disc extrusions share similarities with SCI in humans.

Auditory functional magnetic resonance imaging in dogs--normalization and group analysis and the processing of pitch in the canine auditory pathways.

Background: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is an advanced and frequently used technique for studying brain functions in humans and increasingly so in animals. A key element of analyzing fMRI data is group analysis, for which valid spatial normalization is a prerequisite. In the current study we applied normalization and group analysis to a dataset from an auditory functional MRI experiment in anesthetized beagles.

Acute basophilic leukaemia in a three-month-old calf.

A three-month-old female Holstein-Friesian calf was presented with acute tetraparesis. After neurological examination a multifocal lesion in the central nervous system was suspected with the most pronounced lesions between the third thoracic and the third lumbar vertebrae. Haematological examination revealed moderate anaemia as well as severe thrombocytopenia, neutropenia and leucocytosis.

The mammalian cervical vertebrae blueprint depends on the T (brachyury) gene.

A key common feature all but three known mammalian genera is the strict seven cervical vertebrae blueprint, suggesting the involvement of strong conserving selection forces during mammalian radiation. This is further supported by reports indicating that children with cervical ribs die before they reach reproductive age. Hypotheses were put up, associating cervical ribs (homeotic transformations) to embryonal cancer (e.

Quantification of right ventricular volume in dogs: a comparative study between three-dimensional echocardiography and computed tomography with the reference method magnetic resonance imaging.

Background: Right ventricular (RV) volume and function are important diagnostic and prognostic factors in dogs with primary or secondary right-sided heart failure. The complex shape of the right ventricle and its retrosternal position make the quantification of its volume difficult. For that reason, only few studies exist, which deal with the determination of RV volume parameters.

Evaluation of thoracic limb loads, elbow movement, and morphology in dogs before and after arthroscopic management of unilateral medial coronoid process disease.

Objective: To (1) evaluate thoracic limb loads and symmetry, and elbow function and morphology, before and after arthroscopic treatment of unilateral medial coronoid process disease (MCPD), and (2) determine if functional variables correlate with morphologic findings.

Study Design: Prospective case series.

Animals: Dogs (n = 14) with thoracic limb lameness.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging of the ascending stages of the auditory system in dogs.

Background: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a technique able to localize neural activity in the brain by detecting associated changes in blood flow. It is an essential tool for studying human functional neuroanatomy including the auditory system. There are only a few studies, however, using fMRI to study canine brain functions.

Assessment of left ventricular volumes by use of one-, two-, and three-dimensional echocardiography versus magnetic resonance imaging in healthy dogs.

Objective: To quantify left ventricle (LV) volumes by use of 1-D, 2-D, and 3-D echocardiography versus MRI in dogs.

Animals: 10 healthy Beagles.

Procedures: During anesthesia, each dog underwent an echocardiographic examination via the Teichholz method, performed on the basis of standard M-mode frames (1-D); the monoplane Simpson method of disk (via 2-D loops); real-time triplane echocardiography (RTTPE) with a 3-D probe; and real-time 3-D echocardiography with a 3-D probe.

Infiltrative lipoma compressing the spinal cord in 2 large-breed dogs.

Two cases of infiltrative lipomas compressing the spinal cord and causing nonambulatory paraparesis in 2 large-breed dogs are reported. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed severe extradural spinal cord compression by inhomogenous masses that infiltrated the adjacent tissues and the muscles of the spine in both dogs. The presumptive clinical diagnoses were infiltrative lipomas, which were confirmed by histopathology.

Comparative assessment of left ventricular function variables determined via cardiac computed tomography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in dogs.

Objective: To evaluate the accuracy and reproducibility of left ventricular (LV) volumetric and function variables determined via contrast-enhanced cardiac CT and cardiac MRI in healthy dogs.

Animals: 10 healthy Beagles.

Procedures: Cardiac MRI and cardiac CT were performed in anesthetized Beagles; both examinations were conducted within a 2-hour period.

Evaluation of normal appearing spinal cord by diffusion tensor imaging, fiber tracking, fractional anisotropy, and apparent diffusion coefficient measurement in 13 dogs.

Background: Functional magnetic resonance (fMR) imaging offers plenty of new opportunities in the diagnosis of central nervous system diseases. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a technique sensitive to the random motion of water providing information about tissue architecture. We applied DTI to normal appearing spinal cords of 13 dogs of different breeds and body weights in a 3.

Diagnostic accuracy of a short-duration 3 Tesla magnetic resonance protocol for diagnosing stifle joint lesions in dogs with non-traumatic cranial cruciate ligament rupture.

Background: Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is the preferred diagnostic tool to evaluate internal disorders of many joints in humans; however, the usefulness of MR imaging in the context of osteoarthritis, and joint disease in general, has yet to be characterized in veterinary medicine. The objective of this study was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of short-duration 3 Tesla MR imaging for the evaluation of cranial and caudal cruciate ligament, meniscal and cartilage damage, as well as the degree of osteoarthritis, in dogs affected by non-traumatic, naturally-occurring cranial cruciate ligament rupture (CCLR). Diagnoses made from MR images were compared to those made during surgical exploration.