58 research outputs found
pericardial patch as a palliative treatment in three dogs affected by unresectable cardiac tumor
Abstract
This report is aimed at describing a pericardial patch for unresectable cardiac tumors as a palliative technique to prevent pleural effusion.
Each dog underwent the same diagnostic protocol including a cardiological assessment, hematology and biochemistry profile, urinary test, abdominal and heart ultrasonography and chest radiographs. Computed tomography was always performed in order to exclude any potential metastatic lesions. All dogs underwent open pericardiectomy: the pericardium was opened and transposed on the mass according to its shape. Biopsy of the mass was always performed. Histopathological evaluation of the masses described two HAS and one chemodectoma. Chemotherapy protocol includes doxorubicin that was weekly administered. Dogs with HSA survived 65 and 85 days respectively without pleural effusion, while the dog with chemodectoma died after six months for reasons unrelated to the tumor.
No evidence of pleural effusion was observed during the heart recheck, monthly performed.
Pericardial patch is a potential choice as a palliative treatment for unresectable cardiac tumors. No pleural effusion was seen in three dogs affected by unresectable cardiac tumors
Clinical Value of CT-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration and Tissue-Core Biopsy of Thoracic Masses in the Dog and Cat
Diagnosis of thoracic lesions on the basis of history and physical examination is often challenging. Diagnostic imaging is therefore of paramount importance in this field. Radiology has traditionally been considered the diagnostic procedure of choice for these diseases. Nevertheless, it is often not possible to differentiate inflammatory/infectious lesions from neoplastic diseases. A correct cytological and histopathologic diagnosis is therefore needed for an accurate diagnosis and subsequent prognostic and therapeutic approach. In human medicine, Computed Tomography (CT) and CT-guided biopsy are used in the presence of lesions which are not adequately diagnosed with other procedures. In the present study, thoracic lesions from 52 dogs and 10 cats of different sex, breed and size underwent both CT-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNAB) and tissue-core biopsy (TCB). Clinical examination, hematobiochemical analysis and chest radiography were performed on all animals. In this study, 59 of 62 histopathological samples were diagnostic (95.2%). Cytology was diagnostic in 43 of 62 samples (69.4%). General sensitivity, accuracy and PPV for FNAB and TCB were 67.7%, 67.7% and 100% and 96.7%, 95.2% and 98.3%, respectively. Combining the two techniques, the overall mean accuracy for diagnosis was 98.4%. Nineteen of 62 cases showed complications (30.6%). Mild pneumothorax was seen in 16 cases, whereas mild hemorrhage occurred in three cases. No major complications were encountered. CT-guided FNAB cytology can be considered a useful and reliable technique, especially for small lesions or lesions located close to vital organs and therefore dangerous to biopsy in other way
B-mode and Contrast Enhanced Ultrasonography Features of Gastric Inflammatory and Neoplastic Diseases in Dogs
Triple-Phase Multidetector Computed Tomography in Distinguishing Canine Hepatic Lesions
The liver has a unique vascular supply, and triple-phase contrast-enhanced computed
tomography examinations are being performed in order to characterize liver lesions. This study
aimed to look for any associations between the attenuation values of liver lesions and their histological
classification. The inclusion criteria for this retrospective study were focal or multifocal liver lesions
and histological diagnosis. All of the dogs underwent pre-contrast and triple-phase postcontrast
computed tomography (CT) examinations with identical timings of the postcontrast series. Thirtyone dogs were included in the study, and various benign and malignant pathologies were identified.
The results did not identify any significant differences between the benign and malignant liver
lesions, nor between the individual histological diagnoses. Inflammatory lesions were significantly
different compared to the normal liver parenchyma, and significant hypoattenuation was found in
the portal and delayed venous phases. Hemangiosarcomas were significantly hypoattenuating to the
normal liver parenchyma in the pre-contrast and arterial phases, and also to all of the benign lesions
in the arterial phase. The other pathologies showed variable attenuation patterns in the different
postcontrast phases, and differentiation was not possible. On the basis of this study, triple-phase
contrast-enhanced computed tomography cannot differentiate between benign and malignant liver
lesions, and biopsy and further histological analysis are necessar
Frailty, psychological well-being, and social isolation in older adults with cognitive impairment during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: data from the GeroCovid initiative
Background: The containment measures linked to the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected the phyco-physical well-being of the population, especially older adults with neurocognitive disorders (NCDs). This study aims to evaluate whether the frailty of NCD patients was associated with different changes in multiple health domains, in particular in relation to loneliness and social isolation, pre- and post-lockdown. Materials and methods: Patients were recruited from 10 Italian Centers for Cognitive Disorders and Dementia. Data were collected in the pre-pandemic period (T0), during the pandemic lockdown (T1), and 6-9 months post-lockdown (T2). The UCLA Loneliness Scale-3, Activities of Daily Living (ADL), Instrumental ADL (IADL), Mini-Mental State Examination, and Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) were administered. Caregivers' burden was also tested. Patients were categorized as non-frail, pre-frail, and frail according to the Fatigue, Resistance, Ambulation, Illness, and Loss of Weight scale. Results: The sample included 165 subjects (61.9% women, mean age 79.5 ± 4.9 years). In the whole sample, the ADL, IADL, and NPI scores significantly declined between T0 and T2. There were no significative variations in functional and cognitive domains between the frail groups. During lockdown we recorded higher Depression Anxiety Stress Scales and Perceived Stress Scale scores in frail people. In multivariable logistic regression, frailty was associated with an increase in social isolation, and a loss of IADL. Conclusions: We observed a global deterioration in functional and neuro-psychiatric domains irrespective of the degree of frailty. Frailty was associated with the worsening of social isolation during lockdown. Frail patients and their caregivers seemed to experience more anxiety and stress disorders during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic
Evaluation of the Spirotome Device for Nasal Tumors Biopsy in Eleven Dogs
This study evaluated the accuracy and diagnostic quality of histological samples obtained with the Spirotome device on biopsies from dogs affected by canine nasal tumors. Eleven dogs were included in this study. The mean age was 10 years. All biopsies were successfully performed within 15 minutes. All dogs showed nasal bleeding after the biopsies, which was quickly managed by applying intranasal compression with sterile cotton swabs. Bleeding stopped within 10 minutes after sampling. All biopsy samples were considered satisfactory by the pathologist, allowing a proper histological assessment
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