An intrathoracic ectopic liver with pleural effusion in a dog

A 10-year-old, spayed female dog with intermittent coughing and respiratory distress was presented at our hospital. Thoracic radiographs revealed a 71×43 mm intrathoracic solitary mass. After one week, coughing worsened and pleural effusion was found. The intrathoracic mass had the same intensity as the liver in contrast-enhanced computed tomography images. There were no signs of diaphragmatic hernia, and attachment of the mass to the diaphragm and the caudal vena cava was observed during surgery. Histopathologically, the mass was composed of normal hepatic parenchyma, and based on this finding and the gross findings, it was diagnosed as an ectopic liver. Owing to its location, the ectopic liver may have caused regional venous occlusion, which resulted in the clinical symptoms observed

Porencephaly in dogs and cats: relationships between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features and hippocampal atrophy

Porencephaly is the congenital cerebral defect and a rare malformation and described few MRI reports in veterinary medicine. MRI features of porencephaly are recognized the coexistence with the unilateral/bilateral hippocampal atrophy, caused by the seizure symptoms in human medicine. We studied 2 dogs and 1 cat with congenital porencephaly to characterize the clinical signs and MRI, and to discuss the associated MRI with hippocampal atrophy. The main clinical sign was the seizure symptoms, and all had hippocampal atrophy at the lesion side or the larger defect side. There is association between hippocampal atrophy or the cyst volume and the severe of clinical signs, and it is suggested that porencephaly coexists with hippocampal atrophy as well as humans in this study

Comparison of cardiac output measurements using transpulmonary thermodilution and conventional thermodilution techniques in anaesthetized dogs with fluid overload

Objective: To evaluate the agreement between cardiac output (CO) values obtained using a transpulmonary thermodilution technique (TPTDCO) and conventional thermodilution technique (TDCO) in anaesthetized dogs with fluid overload. Study design: Prospective experimental study. Animals: Six healthy Beagle dogs aged 7-8years. Methods: Dogs were anaesthetized with sevoflurane in oxygen, and catheters were inserted for TPTDCO and TDCO measurement. After instrumentation, baseline CO was measured using each technique at a central venous pressure (CVP) of 3-7mmHg. Dogs were subsequently administered lactated Ringer's solution and 6% hydroxyethyl starch to induce fluid overload. CO measurements were obtained using each technique at CVP values of 8-12mmHg, 13-17mmHg, 18-22mmHg and 23-27mmHg. Agreements between CO measurements obtained with the respective techniques were analysed using Dunnett's test, Pearson's correlation coefficient and Bland-Altman analysis. Results: Thirty pairs of CO values were obtained, ranging from 1.45Lminute(-1) to 4.69Lminute(-1) for TPTDCO and from 1.30Lminute(-1) to 4.61Lminute(-1) for TDCO. TPTDCO and TDCO values correlated strongly (r(2)=0.915, p<0.001). The bias and mean relative bias between TPTDCO and TDCO were 0.260.30Lminute(-1) (limits of agreement -0.29 to 0.81Lminute(-1)) and 9.7%, respectively. Conclusions and clinical relevance: TPTDCO and TDCO measurements obtained in anaesthetized dogs during fluid overload exhibited good agreement. Accordingly, transpulmonary thermodilution provides an accurate measurement of CO in dogs with fluid overload

Effects of gel pad thickness on skin stiffness evaluation by ultrasonographic strain elastography in normal dogs

Gel pads are commonly used for skin ultrasound examination; however, the effect of their thickness on the measured values is unknown. We investigated the effect of pad thickness on skin stiffness measurement in healthy dogs. The skin stiffness of the dorsal neck was measured using a durometer. Ultrasonographic strain elastography was performed with 5-, 10-, and 20-mm-thick pads. Among the strain ratios, muscle/skin (5 mm) showed a significantly positive correlation with skin stiffness. In the strain histogram, AREA (20 mm), CONTRAST (20 mm), MEAN (5, 20 mm), and STANDARD DEVIATION (20 mm) were significantly correlated with skin stiffness. In conclusion, the thickness of the gel pad affects the measurements during skin ultrasonographic strain elastography

Cardiovascular effects of intravenous colforsin in normal and acute respiratory acidosis canine models : A dose-response study

In acidosis, catecholamines are attenuated, and higher doses are often required to improve cardiovascular function. Colforsin activates adenylate cyclase in cardiomyocytes without beta-adrenoceptor. Here, six beagles were administered colforsin or dobutamine four times during eucapnia (partial pressure of arterial carbon dioxide 35-40 mm Hg; normal) and hypercapnia (ibid 90-110 mm Hg; acidosis) conditions. The latter was induced by CO_2 inhalation. Anesthesia was induced with propofol and maintained with isoflurane. Cardiovascular function was measured by thermodilution and a Swan-Ganz catheter at baseline and 60 min after 0.3 μg/kg/min (low), 0.6 μg/kg/min (middle), and 1.2 μg/kg/min (high) colforsin administration. The median pH was 7.38 [range 7.33-7.42] and 7.01 [range 6.96-7.08] at baseline in the Normal and Acidosis conditions, respectively. Endogenous adrenaline and noradrenaline levels at baseline were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in the Acidosis than in the Normal condition. Colforsin induced cardiovascular effects similar to those caused by dobutamine. Colforsin increased cardiac output in the Normal condition (baseline: 3.9 ± 0.2 L/kg/m^2 [mean ± standard error], low: 5.2 ± 0.4 L/kg/min2, middle: 7.0 ± 0.4 L/kg/m^2, high: 9.4 ± 0.2 L/kg/m^2; P < 0.001) and Acidosis condition (baseline: 6.1 ± 0.3 L/kg/m^2, low: 6.2 ± 0.2 L/kg/m^2, middle: 7.2 ± 0.2 L/kg/m^2, high: 8.3 ± 0.2 L/kg/m^2; P < 0.001). Colforsin significantly increased heart rate and decreased systemic vascular resistance compared to values at baseline. Both drugs increased pulmonary artery pressure, but colforsin (high: 13.3 ± 0.6 mmHg in Normal and 20.1 ± 0.2 mmHg in Acidosis) may have lower clinical impact on the pulmonary artery than dobutamine (high: 19.7 ± 0.6 in Normal and 26.7 ± 0.5 in Acidosis). Interaction between both drugs and experimental conditions was observed in terms of cardiovascular function, which were similarly attenuated with colforsin and dobutamine under acute respiratory acidosis