Results suggest that the prognosis for dogs undergoing surgery because of GDV is good but that certain factors are associated with an increased risk that dogs will develop perioperative complications or die.

Twenty normal, large-breed dogs underwent median sternotomy. Median sternotomies were closed with 20-gauge orthopedic wire in 10 dogs and no. 2 polybutester in 10 dogs. Closure with suture was faster than with wire (6.7 +/- 1.8 minutes versus 9.1 +/- 1.9 minutes, respectively). Significant differences were not observed in degree of postoperative pain or wound complication rates. Sternotomies closed with wire showed a trend to be more stable and had significantly less displacement on radiographic evaluation at 28 days. All sterna closed with wire examined histopathologically showed evidence of chondral or osteochondral bridging, while sterna closed with suture only showed fibrous union.

LDF may have application for evaluation of stomach wall viability during surgery in dogs with GDV.

Thoracolumbar intervertebral disc extrusion is a common disease in dogs. Surgical decompression of the spinal cord is the preferred treatment. Localization of the compressive material is critical for surgical planning. Myelography has been used for localizing extruded disc material, but this procedure carries risk of complications. Computed tomography (CT) is becoming more available for use in veterinary medicine and CT myelography is used for localization of extruded disc material. This report compares CT with intravenous contrast medium and CT myelography for identifying extruded intervertebral discs. CT with intravenous contrast medium is as effective as CT myelography for determining level and laterality of compressive disc extrusions.

Objective: To determine changes in hemodynamic and cardiac energetic parameters in dogs after induction of portal hypertension and gastric ischemia. These blood flow alterations are similar to changes seen in splanchnic blood flow in dogs with gastric dilatation volvulus syndrome (GDV). Design: Original experimental study. Setting: Veterinary teaching hospital. Animals: Seven purpose-bred, intact male dogs. Interventions: Standard midline laparotomy and median sternotomy were performed under general anesthesia. Dogs were instrumented to obtain arterial blood pressure, aortic flow, cardiac chamber pressures, central venous pressure, portal flow, and portal pressure. Colored microsphere technology was used for the determination of myocardial blood flow. Measurements and samples were obtained at baseline, following induction of portal hypertension, and after induction of portal hypertension and gastric ischemia. Measurements and main results: Left ventricular myocardial blood flow was increased from 81.8 AE 20.1 mL/ 100 g/min at baseline to 127.7 AE 57.2 mL/100 g/min (P 5 0.02) after induction of portal hypertension and gastric ischemia. Myocardial oxygen consumption increased from 142.2 AE 27.4 J/min/100 g at baseline to 219.1 AE 33.4 J/min/100 g (P 5 0.003) after induction of portal hypertension and gastric ischemia, but cardiac external work remained unchanged (13.67 AE 6.2 to 13.27 AE 9.6 J/min; P 5 0.78; power 5 0.79). Cardiac efficiency decreased from 11.6 AE 6.1% at baseline to 7.6 AE 5.1% (P 5 0.017) after induction of portal hypertension and gastric ischemia. Conclusions: Transfer of energy within the myocardium was less efficient after induction of portal hypertension and ischemia of the stomach wall. On the basis of these results, alterations in cardiac function associated with GDV may result from deterioration of cardiac efficiency.