Toracotomia em eqüinos

Six healthy equine were used to evaluate surgical technique of thoracotomy; surgical access to the right hemithorax was assured by anesthesia with mechanical controlled ventilation. The technique employed resulted in intense and diffuse bleeding throughout the muscular layers and provided easy approach to elevate the periosteum of the rib to be partially excised. After undoing of the negative thoracic pressure, pulmonary expansion was adequate, as assessed by visual examination. The bone endings provided good support and stability to the muscular sutures, and the suture material was of enough strength to support different degrees of tension. The technique allowed surgical procedures to be carried out in the horse’s cranial and accessory pulmonary lobes as well as satisfactory exploration of the right pleural cavity. The suture methods employed were efficient and no signs of respiratory distress or pneumothorax were observed.Foram utilizados 6 eqüinos hígidos, sob anestesia com ventilação controlada, para a realização de acesso cirúrgico ao hemitórax direito com o objetivo de se avaliar a técnica cirúrgica empregada, mediante a utilização de anestesia com ventilação controlada mecânica. A técnica de toracotomia provocou sangramento difuso intenso nas camadas musculares; o descolamento do periósteo da costela a ser parcialmente excisada foi realizado facilmente; após a pressão negativa intratorácica ser desfeita, a expansão pulmonar manteve-se visualmente adequada; os cotos ósseos forneceram bom suporte para os músculos da região e tornaram a síntese cirúrgica mais estável; e, o fio de sutura utilizado na musculatura mostrou força de tensão suficiente para suportar os diferentes graus de tração. Concluiu-se que a técnica cirúrgica empregada permite a realização de procedimentos cirúrgicos nos lobos pulmonares cranial e acessório e boa exploração da cavidade pleural direita e que a técnica de sutura empregada é eficiente, pois não causa transtornos respiratórios ou sinais de pneumotórax

Anatomia ultra-sonográfica dos ligamentos patelares de cavalos adultos

In order to describe the ultrasonographic anatomy of patellar ligaments (medial, middle, lateral) and associated structures, 20 femorotibiopatellar joints of adult horses were investigated. Echogenicity, collagen fibers alignment, size, shape and surrounding structures were evaluated. All ligaments presented uniform echogenicity and collagen fibers parallelism. The longitudinal section of the medial and middle patellar ligaments presented a significant larger thickness (p<0,01) of the distal region when compared to the proximal region. When comparing the same site between the three ligaments, LPI was thicker (p<0,01) than lateral patellar ligament (LPL) and LPM. The LPL transversal section (cm²) presented a significant larger area (p<0,01), followed by the LPI and LPM. The transversal section of the medium region revealed a LPM with triangular shape, triangular or circular LPI, and flattened LPL. The surrounding structures observed during the evaluation were: femoral groove, articular cartilages, periligamentar fat tissue, patella and proximal tibia.Para descrever a anatomia ultra-sonográfica foram examinados os ligamentos patelares (medial, intermédio e lateral) e as estruturas relacionadas de 20 articulações fêmuro-tibio-patelares de cavalos adultos. Tanto a ecogenicidade como o alinhamento das fibras de colágeno, a espessura, a forma e relação com as estruturas vizinhas foram avaliadas. Os três ligamentos apresentaram ecogenicidade uniforme e paralelismo das fibras colágenas. Em secção longitudinal os ligamentos patelares medial (LPM) e intermédio (LPI) apresentaram maior espessura do segmento distal (p<0,01) quando comparado com o proximal. Comparando-se o mesmo segmento entre os três ligamentos, o LPI apresentou espessura maior (p<0,01) em relação ao LPM e ligamento patelar lateral (LPL). Em secção transversal (cm²) o LPL apresentou a maior área (p <0,01), seguido pelo LPI e LPM. Em secção transversal do segmento médio, o LPM apresentou forma triangular, o LPI em forma triangular ou circular, e o LPL formato achatado. As estruturas adjacentes identificadas durante o exame dos ligamentos foram cristas femorais, cartilagem articular, tecido gorduroso periligamentar, patela e tíbia proximal

Evaluation of chitosan-GP hydrogel biocompatibility in osteochondral defects: an experimental approach

Background: Articular cartilage, because of its avascular nature, has little capacity for spontaneous healing, and tissue engineering approaches, employing different biomaterials and cells, are under development. Among the investigated biomaterials are the chitosan-based hydrogels. Although thoroughly studied in other mammalian species, studies are scarce in equines. So, the aim of the present study was to investigate the biocompatibility of chitosan-GP in horse joints submitted to high mechanical loads.Results: An osteochondral defect was created by arthroscopy in the medial surface of lateral trochlea of talus of left or right leg, randomly selected, from six healthy geldings. the defect was filled up with chitosan-GP. the contralateral joint received an identical defect with no implant. the chondral fragment removed to produce the defect was collected, processed and used as the Initial sample (normal cartilage) for histology, immunohistochemistry, and metabolic labelling of PGs. After 180 days, the repair tissues were collected, and also analyzed. At the end of the experiment (180 days after lesion), the total number of cells per field in repair tissues was equal to control, and macrophages and polymorphonuclear cells were not detected, suggesting that no significant inflammation was present. These cells were able to synthesize type II collagen and proteoglycans (PGs). Nevertheless, the cell population in these tissues, both in presence of chitosan-GP and in untreated controls, were heterogeneous, with a lower proportion of type II collagen-positives cells and some with a fibroblastic aspect. Moreover, the PGs synthesized in repair tissues formed in presence or absence of chitosan-GP were similar to those of normal cartilage. However, the chitosan-GP treated tissue had an disorganized appearance, and blood vessels were present.Conclusions: Implanted chitosan-GP did not evoke an important inflammatory reaction, and permitted cell growth. These cells were able to synthesize type II collagen and PGs similar to those synthesized in normal cartilage and in healing tissue without implant, indicating its chondrocyte nature.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Univ São Paulo, Fac Med Vet & Zootecnia, Dept Cirurgia, BR-09500900 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Bioquim, BR-04044020 São Paulo, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Fac Med Vet & Zootecnia, Dept Clin Med, BR-09500900 São Paulo, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Fac Med Vet & Zootecnia, Dept Patol, BR-09500900 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Bioquim, BR-04044020 São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Changes in the peritoneal fluid of horses with abdominal discomfort and its relations to the kind and evolution of the lesion after medical or surgical treatment: study of 74 cases

Este trabalho tem como objetivo interrelacionar o exame do líquido peritoneal de eqüinos com desconforto abdominal e a indicação terapêutica para estes animais, levando-se em consideração a localização do processo patológico, a presença ou não de estrangulamento vascular, o tratamento instituído e a característica do líquido peritoneal como transudato modificado ou exsudato. Para isso os autores trabalharam com 373 prontuários de eqüinos com desconforto abdominal, que foram atendidos no Hospital Veterinário da Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia - UNESP- Botucatu, no período de 1985 a 1991. Destes prontuários, 98 foram selecionados, onde a abdominocentese e o exame do líquido peritoneal haviam sido realizados rotineiramente. Observou-se maior ocorrência de líquido peritoneal tipo exsudato do que transudato modificado. Independentemente da sede da lesão, as afecções que apresentaram estrangulamento vascular possuíram índices de sobrevivência menor, sendo que a maior ocorrência de estrangulamento vascular possuíram índices de sobrevivência menor que a maior ocorrência de estrangulamento vascular deu-se no intestino delgado. Houve melho índice de recuperação em animais com processos patológicos de intestino grosso. Entre os parâmetros estudados nos exames dos líquidos peritoneais, observou-se que a coloração sanguinolenta das amostras foi a que mais evidenciou a presença de estrangulamento vascular e isquemia intestinal. Por fim a citologia e a análise de líquido peritoneal não foram suficientes para diferenciar as várias causas de desconforto abdominal, devido às grandes variações de cada processo patológico entre si. Porem, salienta-se que quando associadas com a avaliação clínica do animal, podem nos evidenciar a necessidade de intervenção cirúrgica.The purpose of this paper is to view the interrelation between the peritoneal fluid analysis from horses with abdominal discomfort, regarding the pathology site, the occurrence or not of strangulating obstruction, the treatment performed and the presence of peritoneal fluid, classified either as modified transudate or exsudate. In order to achieve that, 373 clinical records of colicky horses referred to the Veterinary Hospital between 1985 and 1991 were studied, and 98 of these, were selected, in which peritoneal fluid sampling and analysis had been carried out in a routine manner. Greater amount of exsudate than that of modified transudate was observed. Horses with wide spread intestinal disease showed the best recovery rates. Regardless of the site of the lesion, those exhibiting strangulating obstruction had the lowest rates of survival, and this kind of obstruction was more frequently observed in the small intestine. Among the parameters considered in the peritoneal fluid analysis, fluid color was the most reliable indicator od strangulating obstruction and/or intestinal ischemia. Finally, peritoneal fluid analysis and citology alone were not sufficient to diagnose the cause of the colic, due to the great variation observed in each pathology group: associated to the clinical evaluation of the patient, however, they can bring up the need for surgical intervention

Relationship between the use of therapeutic shoeing, period of treatment and rehabilitation of horses with chronic laminitis

Foram revisados os dados de 138 equinos com laminite, atendidos no período de dez anos. Destes, 48 casos de laminite crônica foram selecionados com o objetivo de relacionar a recuperação clínica dos cavalos com a utilização de dois métodos diferentes de distribuição de apoio sobre os cascos: palmilha de isopor e palmilha de isopor associada ao ferrageamento. Os cavalos foram divididos de acordo com a recuperação clínica, método de distribuição de apoio escolhido e grau de rotação da terceira falange. Também foi estabelecido o tempo médio de tratamento. Considerando os graus de rotação 3 a 5, 6 a 8, 9 a 11 e acima de 11, e comparados os dois métodos de distribuição de apoio sobre os cascos, não foi observada diferença estatística na porcentagem de animais com recuperação clínica. Contudo, dos animais que utilizaram palmilha de isopor, 43,5 ± 14% recuperaram-se clinicamente, e nos que utilizaram palmilha de isopor associada ao ferrageamento, obteve-se 69,5 ± 19% de recuperação clínica. Não houve correlação entre o aumento do grau de rotação da terceira falange e tempo de tratamento. Também a recuperação clínica dos animais não teve relação com tempo de tratamento. A literatura correlaciona vários fatores ao prognóstico, porém, neste trabalho demonstrou-se que a o retorno à função anteriormente exercida pelo cavalo não está relacionado ao tempo de tratamento, contudo, sofre influência da utilização do método de ferrageamento.Data from 138 horses with laminitis treated in the period of ten years were reviewed. Of these, 48 cases of chronic laminitis were selected in order to relate the clinical recovery of horses using two different methods of distribution of body weight on the hooves: foam pad and foam pad associated with shoeing. The horses were divided according to clinical recovery, the weight distribution method chosen and degree of rotation of the third phalange. Also the average time of treatment was established. Considering the degrees of rotation 3-5, 6-8, 9-11 and above 11, and comparing the two methods of distribution of body weight on the hooves, there was no statistical difference in the percentage of animals with clinical recovery. However, 43.5 ± 14% of horses that used foam pad and 69,5 ± 19% of them that used foam pad associated with shoeing recovered clinically. There was no correlation between the increase of the degree of rotation of the third phalanx and treatment time. Clinical recovery of animals was not related to treatment time. Several factors are correlated with prognosis in the literature, but this study demonstrated that the return of the function previously performed by the horse is not related to treatment time, however, is influenced by the use of shoeing

A survey on equine neoplasias over a 15-year period in a veterinary hospital

Apesar de vários estudos fornecerem informações sobre a incidência de neoplasias em equinos, há grande variação na distribuição, em decorrência de diferenças regionais, como clima e população racial. Foram analisados 133 casos de neoplasias dentre os 6669 equídeos atendidos no Hospital Veterinário da Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia da Universidade de São Paulo, durante um período de 15 anos, representando 2% do total de atendimentos. A neoplasia mais frequente foi o carcinoma de células escamosas (45%), diferindo da maioria dos estudos realizados mundialmente. No sistema tegumentar, a neoplasia mais comum foi o melanoma (34,2%); nos sistemas ocular e urogenital, foi o carcinoma de células escamosas (76,9% e 40,9% respectivamente). Em 68% dos casos foi realizado tratamento cirúrgico, em 10%, tratamento clínico e em 22%, nenhum tipo de tratamento, por opção do proprietário ou indicação de eutanásia. Óbitos por causas relacionadas às neoplasias ocorreram em 14% dos casos. Os achados sugerem que o carcinoma de células escamosas ocorre mais frequentemente em nosso atendimento hospitalar. Este fato pode estar relacionado à exposição prolongada à luz ultravioleta, cuja quantidade de radiação em regiões tropicais vem aumentando consideravelmente nas últimas décadas.Although several prior studies have provided information regarding incidence of tumors in horses, there is a wide variation due to regional differences, such as climate and breed population. A number of 133 cases involving tumors was found among the 6669 equides submitted to the Veterinary Hospital (HOVET) of the School of Veterinary Medicine of the University of São Paulo, during a 15 years period, representing 2% of all records. The most commonly found neoplasm was the squamous cells carcinoma (45%), different from most of the studies worldwide. The most common neoplasia in the integument system was melanoma (34,2%) and in the ocular (76,9%) and urogenital systems (40,9%) was squamous cells carcinoma. Surgical intervention was recommended in 68% of the cases, while a clinical approach was chosen in 10% of them. Twenty two percent of the horses were not treated due to of the owner option or euthanasia indication. Death associated with tumors occurred on 14% of the animals during the hospitalization period or treatment. The squamous cell carcinoma occurs more often in our veterinary hospital and may be related to prolonged exposure to ultraviolet radiation, whose amount in the tropics has increased considerably in the last decades

The correlation between score-based protocol for equine joint assessment and subsequent arthroscopic intervention outcomes

This study aimed to grade joint abnormalities in horses submitted to therapeutic arthroscopy using score-based protocols for equine joint assessment, correlated with arthroscopic treatment outcomes and owner satisfaction. In this prospective study, we evaluated 126 joints of athletic horses referred for arthroscopy. The joints were scored according to findings of medical history and physical, radiographic, ultrasonographic and arthroscopic examination. Lameness, positive response to flexion test and decreased maximum joint flexion angle were detected in more than 50% of joints. Soft tissue swelling, sclerosis, subchondral bone osteolysis and single osteochondral fragments were the most common radiographic findings. Ultrasonographic examination revealed changes in synovial fluid volume and appearance, and subchondral bone irregularities. Increased vascularity of the synovial villi, chondral fibrillation, chondral fissures and superficial cartilage erosions were the most significant arthroscopic findings. The approaches that demonstrated greater sensitivity and correlation with treatment outcome and owner satisfaction were medical history, ultrasonographic and arthroscopic examination. The scoring protocol employed to grade joint abnormalities enabled the creation of a joint score system for the objective assessment, thus determining the most frequent findings and establishing an injury severity score for each joint.O objetivo desse estudo foi avaliar as anormalidades articulares observadas em equinos submetidos à artroscopia terapêutica, utilizando protocolos baseados em pontuações e correlacionando os resultados do tratamento cirúrgico com a satisfação do proprietário. Neste estudo prospectivo, foram avaliadas 126 articulações de cavalos atletas, encaminhados para artroscopia. As articulações foram pontuadas de acordo com os achados da anamnese e exame físico, exame radiográfico, exame ultrassonográfico e avaliação artroscópica. A claudicação, resposta positiva ao teste de flexão e diminuição do ângulo máximo de flexão articular foram detectados em mais de 50% das articulações. Aumento de volume dos tecidos moles, esclerose subcondral, osteólise subcondral e fragmentos osteocondrais únicos foram os achados radiográficos mais comuns. O exame ultrassonográfico revelou, com frequência, as alterações no volume e na aparência do líquido sinovial, além de irregularidades osteocondrais. O aumento da vascularização das vilosidades sinoviais, fibrilação condral, fissuras condrais e erosões superficiais da cartilagem foram os achados artroscópicos mais significativos. As abordagens diagnósticas que demonstraram maior sensibilidade e melhor correlação entre o resultado do tratamento e satisfação do proprietário foram história médica, exame ultrassonográfico e artroscópico. O protocolo de avaliação utilizado, baseado em um sistema de pontuação das anormalidades articulares observadas em cada exame, permitiu uma avaliação objetiva, ressaltando os achados mais frequentes e estabelecendo um escore de gravidade da lesão para cada articulação

Characterization of mesenchymal stem cells derived from the equine synovial fluid and membrane

Abstract\ud \ud Background\ud Isolation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in equines, has been reported for different tissues including bone marrow, adipose, umbilical cord, peripheral blood, and yolk sac. In regard to the MSCs derived from synovial fluid (SF) or membrane (SM), there is data available for humans, dogs, pigs, goats and horses. Especially in equines, these cells have being considered promising candidates for articular regeneration. Herein, we established and characterized MSCs obtained from equine SF and SM. Samples were obtained during arthroscopy and cultured using MEM (Minimum Essential Medium). MSCs were characterized by morphology and expression of specific markers for stem cells, pluripotency, inflammation, and cell cycle.\ud \ud \ud Results\ud The medium MEM was more effective (97 % ± 2) to maintain both cultures. The cultures were composed by adherent cells with fibroblast-like shape, which had a growth pattern represented by a sigmoidal curve. After the expansion, the cells were analyzed by flow cytometry for stem cells, inflammatory, and cell cycle markers, and both lineages showed significant expression of CD45, Oct3/4, Nanog, CD105, CD90, CD34, CD117, CD133, TRA-1-81, VEGF, and LY6a. In contrast, there were differences in the cell cycle phases between the lineages, which was not observed in relation to the mitochondrial electrical potential.\ud \ud \ud Conclusion\ud Given the large impact that joint pathology has on the athletic performance horses, our results suggested that the SF and SM are promising sources of stem cells with satisfactory characteristics of growth and gene expression that can be used in equine regenerative medicine.This research was supported by grants from CNPq, FAPESP and NETCEM.\ud The funders had no role in the study design, data collection, analysis and\ud interpretation of data, preparation of the manuscript, and decision to\ud publish. We warmly thank the Veterinary Hospital of the School of Veterinary\ud Medicine and Animal Science at USP to provide the biological samples

Clinical and Complementary Diagnosis of Sinus Neoplasia in Horses

Background: Sinus neoplasms are reported as low frequency in horses. Its clinical characteristics are often nonspecific, depend on complementary methods for diagnosis, and when diagnosed, generally they are already advanced, limiting therapeutic possibilities. The objective of this case series was to detail clinical aspects and complementary exams for sinus neoplasms for early diagnosis, comparing them with the literature.Cases: Four horses were treated at the College of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science of the University of São Paulo, with different clinical signs and previous diagnoses, which when evaluated by respiratory endoscopy, radiography, oral cavity evaluation and histopathological exams, revealed the diagnosis of anaplastic carcinoma, poorly differentiated carcinoma, ossifying fibroma and lymphoma. Previous diagnosis, based mainly on clinical signs, were sinusitis secondary to apical infection, ethmoidal hematoma, sinus cyst and sinusitis secondary to periapical disease. The cases of anaplastic carcinoma (case 1) and lymphoma (case 4) presented with an advanced degree of the disease with involvement and destruction of paranasal structures and adjacent tissues, in addition to a poor general condition, which made surgical treatment impossible and led to euthanasia. In these cases, previous treatment was made to apical infection and periodontal disease with secondary sinusitis, but negative evolution led to suspicion of neoplasia, confirmed by histopathological exam of incisional biopsy of the mass in oral cavity. Benign ossifying fibroma (case 3) presented with progressive respiratory difficulty due to occlusion of the lumen of some nasal meatus and radiographic signs of invasion and deformation of the adjacent bones, it was submitted for surgical excision and there was no recurrence until hospital discharge. The poorly differentiated carcinoma (case 2) was a multilobulate neoformation in the ethmoidal region, similar to ethmoid hematoma in endoscopic and radiographic evaluation, it was submitted for excision and two sessions of electrochemotherapy with bleomycin, associated with administration of piroxicam, which obtained a good result until the period of 1 year after discharge.Discussion: It was found that many characteristics are common with these types of neoplasms, and the clinical signs, such as nasal secretions, airway obstruction, increased facial volume, severe alterations in oral cavity, although unspecific, suggest the differential diagnosis for neoplasms. It is important to differentiate from other diseases noting the evolution and growth of these tumors, like in cases 1 and 4, especially the growth to internal tissues, using complementary methods described here, like endoscopic and radiographic examination. Late identification or even manipulation of neoplasms, without proper diagnosis, leads to a few prognoses regarding life. When it is possible to perform surgical excision, complementary methods are important to guide the procedure, and definitive diagnosis is made through histopathologic exam and some need immunohistochemistry analysis. Cases 2 and 3 had surgical access, were submitted to excision and treatment with good results, both with close monitoring in first months and prolonged quality of life. These results highlight the importance of complementary methods for early diagnosis, correct intervention and monitoring of evolution.Keywords: sinus neoplasia, paranasal sinus, tumor, head, horses

Development of a fixed list of descriptors for the qualitative behavioral assessment of thoroughbred horses in the racing environment

IntroductionHorse racing is a major sport practiced worldwide. The environment to which horses are exposed during race meetings can influence their behavior. However, to the best of our knowledge, a method for assessing a horse’s response to its surroundings during the pre- and post-race periods has not yet been reported. This study aimed to create a standard list of descriptors for use in a qualitative behavioral assessment (QBA) focused on assessing the emotional expressivity of horses before and after racing events.Materials and methodsSeventy pre- or post-race 30-second videos of horses were randomly selected from our database of 700 videos. A panel of 8 experienced equine sports medicine specialist veterinarians watched a 60 min presentation on QBA. The panel then watched all videos randomly, simultaneously, individually, continuously, and without any verbal interaction, describing the descriptors related to the emotional expressivity of the horse after each video using a method known as free-choice profiling (FCP).ResultsThe initial selection of descriptors was based on those indicated by more than one evaluator in the same video, or descriptors with more than 20 occurrences. The second selection was performed based on the content validity index (CVR) to select the descriptors retained in the previous step. Another panel of six veterinarians scored each of the descriptors retained for content validity on a visual scale. Interobserver reliability was estimated using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and its respective 95% confidence intervals (CI). A natural language processing (NLP) algorithm was used to analyze the behavior (positive or negative polarity) of the descriptors based on the lexicoPT package of R software.Discussion/ConclusionNLP analysis considered the descriptors “agitated,” “troubled,” “restless” and “irritated” to have a negative polarity, while “focused,” “relaxed” and “peaceful” had a positive polarity. In the principal component analysis (PCA), descriptors in a negative state were associated with each other and inversely associated with descriptors in a positive state. We conclude with a fixed list of descriptors to be used in a QBA to assess emotional and welfare expressivity in racehorses’ pre- and post-race environments