Laparoscopic versus open splenectomy in dogs

In the last few years, the use of laparoscopy in veterinary medicine has expanded and consequently so was the need for studies that establish the advantages, disadvantages and possible complications of each procedure. The purpose of the current study was to describe a laparoscopic splenectomy technique and the alterations due to this access, and compare it to the open procedure in dogs. A total of 15 healthy female mongrel dogs were used, with mean weight of 17.4±2.5kg. The animals were distributed into three groups: Group IA of open splenectomy (laparotomy) using double ligation of the vessels of the splenic hilum with poliglicolic acid, Group IB of open splenectomy (laparotomy) with bipolar electrocoagulation of the splenic hilum, and Group II of laparoscopic access with bipolar electrocoagulation of the splenic hilum. Operative time, blood loss, size of incisions, complications during and after surgery were evaluated. Other parameters included pain scores, white blood cell (WBC) counts and postoperative serum concentrations of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), creatine kinase (CK), C-reactive protein (CRP), glucose and cortisol. No differences were found in the evaluation of parameters between both open splenectomy techniques employed. Laparoscopic access presented significant differences (p<0,05) when compared with open surgery: Longer operative time, smaller abdominal access, decrease in blood loss, lower concentrations of CRP, higher levels of CK and ALP, and lower scores in the pain scale. Laparoscopic surgery showed fewer complications of the surgical wound. No significant differences were observed between groups in the postoperative temperature, WBC, ALT, cortisol and glucose concentrations. In conclusion, the laparoscopic technique is useful for splenectomy in dogs, being advantageous in terms of blood loss, surgical stress and surgical wounds. However, it expends more operative time and causes transitory increase in hepatic and muscular enzymes.<br>Nos últimos anos, a utilização da laparoscopia em Medicina Veterinária vem expandindo e, conseqüentemente, a necessidade de pesquisas que determinem as vantagens, desvantagens e possíveis complicações de cada procedimento. Este estudo teve como objetivo descrever uma técnica de esplenectomia laparoscópica, assim como as alterações decorrentes deste acesso, e compará-la ao procedimento convencional em cães. Foram utilizadas 15 cadelas hígidas, sem raça definida, com peso médio de 17,4 ±2,5kg. Os animais foram distribuídos em três grupos: Grupo IA de acesso convencional (por laparotomia) utilizando ligadura com ácido poliglicólico no selamento vascular do hilo esplênico, Grupo IB de acesso convencional (por laparotomia) com eletrocoagulador bipolar do hilo esplênico, e Grupo II de acesso laparoscópico com eletrocoagulador bipolar para selamento vascular dos ramos esplênicos. Estes grupos foram avaliados em relação ao tempo cirúrgico, à perda de sangue, ao tamanho das incisões e às complicações durante e após a cirurgia. Também foram comparadas as avaliações da escala de dor e as alterações no leucograma e nas concentrações séricas da alanina aminotransferase (ALT), da fosfatase alcalina (FA), da creatina quinase (CK), da proteína C-reativa (CRP), da glicose e do cortisol no pós-operatório. Os acessos convencionais não diferiram entre si nos parâmetros avaliados. O acesso laparoscópico apresentou diferenças significativas (p<0,05) quando comparado ao convencional: maior tempo cirúrgico, menor acesso abdominal, diminuição na perda de sangue, menores concentrações de CRP, maiores níveis de CK e FA, além de pontuação menor na escala de dor. A cirurgia laparoscópica apresentou menor número de complicações das feridas cirúrgicas. A ALT, o cortisol, a glicemia, o leucograma e a temperatura retal pós-operatórias não diferiram significativamente entre os acessos convencional e laparoscópico. Conclui-se que a cirurgia laparoscópica é viável para esplenectomia em cães, apresentando vantagem em relação à perda de sangue, ao estresse cirúrgico e às feridas cirúrgicas, embora apresente maior tempo cirúrgico e cause aumento transitório de enzimas hepática e muscular

NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES: a data set on carnivore distribution in the Neotropics

Mammalian carnivores are considered a key group in maintaining ecological health and can indicate potential ecological integrity in landscapes where they occur. Carnivores also hold high conservation value and their habitat requirements can guide management and conservation plans. The order Carnivora has 84 species from 8 families in the Neotropical region: Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Otariidae; Phocidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae. Herein, we include published and unpublished data on native terrestrial Neotropical carnivores (Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae). NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES is a publicly available data set that includes 99,605 data entries from 35,511 unique georeferenced coordinates. Detection/non-detection and quantitative data were obtained from 1818 to 2018 by researchers, governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private consultants. Data were collected using several methods including camera trapping, museum collections, roadkill, line transect, and opportunistic records. Literature (peer-reviewed and grey literature) from Portuguese, Spanish and English were incorporated in this compilation. Most of the data set consists of detection data entries (n = 79,343; 79.7%) but also includes non-detection data (n = 20,262; 20.3%). Of those, 43.3% also include count data (n = 43,151). The information available in NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES will contribute to macroecological, ecological, and conservation questions in multiple spatio-temporal perspectives. As carnivores play key roles in trophic interactions, a better understanding of their distribution and habitat requirements are essential to establish conservation management plans and safeguard the future ecological health of Neotropical ecosystems. Our data paper, combined with other large-scale data sets, has great potential to clarify species distribution and related ecological processes within the Neotropics. There are no copyright restrictions and no restriction for using data from this data paper, as long as the data paper is cited as the source of the information used. We also request that users inform us of how they intend to use the data