Left abomasal displacement between the uterus and rumen during bovine twin pregnancy

Here, we describe two cases of left displaced abomasum (LDA) in Holstein cattle at 6 and 9 months of twin gestation. Clinical examination revealed signs of proximal ileus with marked abdominal distension, but no ping sounds. An unusually high position of the gravid uterine horn on the left side was observed with ultrasound. Left exploratory laparotomy confirmed that the abomasum was displaced to the left and entrapped between the rumen and twin gravid uterine horn. A left surgical approach was necessary to correct the condition. Both animals recovered and gave birth to healthy twins. The present cases indicate that the subomental position of a heavy twin gravid uterine horn is a possible mechanical cause of LDA

Incarceratie van dunne darm doorheen het foramen omentale (epiploïcum) : een retrospectieve studie bij 100 paarden

A retrospective study was performed on 100 horses with incarceration of the small intestine through the omental (epiploic) foramen at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Ghent University in Belgium during the period 1994-2001. Preoperative euthanasia was done in 10 horses for different reasons and an explorative laparotomy was performed in 90. Of these ninety horses, 1 died spontaneously during surgical intervention, 10 underwent euthanasia because of the extent of the lesions or a fatal hemorrhage, and surgery was completed on the other 79. A second intervention was necessary in 11 of these 79 horses. Simple reduction and reposition of the small intestine was possible in 35 of them, and a resection followed by an intestinal anastomosis was required in the other 44. Forty-four (49%) of the original 90 horses in which surgery was accomplished were discharged from the clinic. Six of these 44 were re-operated. The survival rate in the group of horses that under-went simple reduction was 60% and in the group that underwent resection and anastomosis it was 52%. After discharge from the clinic, 9 of the original 44 horses were lost for follow-up, and the remaining 3 5 survived for at least 9 months. During the follow-up period (I to 7 years), 16 horses had one or more bouts of colic, for which reason 5 of them (14%) underwent euthanasia. In this study the mean age of the horses with incarceration of the small intestine through the omental foramen was 9.46 years. Geldings, males and riding horses were clearly more represented. During surgical intervention a medio-lateral incarceration was observed in 98% of the horses. A negative correlation was observed between the survival rate and the length of the incarcerated intestinal segment, on the one hand, and between the survival rate and the distance to the clinic (duration after onset of symptoms) on the other

'Thunder Measure Vet Device' : een praktische en objectieve methode om de lichaamsconditie van melkvee te schatten

The scoring of the body condition at specific time points during the lactation cycle has proven to be essential in the nutritional management of modern dairy herds. The 'Thunder Measure (TM) Vet Device' has recently been developed by Ingenera SA, Switzerland to accurately and objectively measure the body condition score (BCS) of dairy cows in the field. Based on a smartphone app linked to a laser device, the system makes an analysis of three dorsal view photographs taken, for example, when cows are lined up in the feed alley. In the present study, the correlation and repeatability of the system were examined in comparison with the conventional visual measurement of BCS and ultrasonographic measurement of the backfat thickness (BFT). The conventional measurement of the BCS was done by a veterinary surgeon experienced in body condition scoring and by less experienced veterinary undergraduate students. The results obtained via the TM Vet Device were only moderately correlated with the BFT measurements (r=0.38, P<0.001), but were highly correlated (r=0.82, P<0.001) and showed good agreement with the BCS results obtained by the experienced veterinary surgeon. The BCS results obtained by the undergraduate students were highly variable, leading to a highly variable correlation with the results gathered using the TM Vet Device (r=0.23 (P<0.05) to r=0.74 (P<0.001)). The repeatability of the results obtained by the device was very high (91%). Only the repeatability of the results obtained by the experienced veterinarian (93%) and the BFT measurement (96%) were higher. In lean animals, some overscoring by the device was noted in comparison with the scores given by the experienced veterinary surgeon, although this overscoring diminished as the body condition score assigned by the veterinary surgeon increased. The ease to use and the accuracy of the results obtained allow the TM Vet Device to be considered a useful tool in the nutritional management of a modern dairy herd

Evaluation of an injectable, photopolymerizable, and three-dimensional scaffold based on methacrylate-endcapped poly(D,L-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) combined with autologous mesenchymal stem cells in a goat tibial unicortical defect model

An in situ crosslinkable, biodegradable, methacrylate-endcapped poly(D,L-lactide-co-epsilon-caprolactone) in which crosslinkage is achieved by photoinitiators was developed for bone tissue regeneration. Different combinations of the polymer with bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and alpha-tricalcium phosphate (alpha-TCP) were tested in a unicortical tibial defect model in eight goats. The polymers were randomly applied in one of three defects (6.0 mm diameter) using a fourth unfilled defect as control. Biocompatibility and bone-healing characteristics were evaluated by serial radiographies, histology, histomorphometry, and immunohistochemistry. The results demonstrated cell survival and proliferation in the polymer-substituted bone defects. The addition of alpha-TCP was associated with less expansion and growth of the BMSCs than other polymer composites