Background In the literature, no studies describe the use of laparoscopic techniques for inguinal hernia repair in canine clinical patients. The surgical technique-Percutaneous Internal Ring Suturing (PIRS) presented in this article is the world's first minimally invasive laparoscopic surgical technique for inguinal canal closure in dogs. Aim The aim of the presented study is to evaluate the possibility of employment of the laparoscopic PIRS technique in clinical practice as well as to technically evaluate its usefulness in the treatment of the inguinal hernia in dogs. The presented study describes the procedure and the results of laparoscopic treatment of 11 inguinal hernias in nine dogs (two bilateral). Methods The whole procedure is performed under camera control introduced through one umbilical trocar. The very closure of the inner inguinal ring is done with the injection needle by a small puncture over the inguinal canal with the help of which the suture material is inserted, and the canal of the operated inguinal hernia is closed. Each operated dog underwent a thorough clinical examination before surgery which was combined with ultrasound examination of the inguinal canals before, immediately after and three months after surgery. Results There was no hernia recurrence in the study period in the operated dogs and all individuals returned to full mobility immediately after recovery from anesthesia. Conclusions Due to the low invasiveness and simplicity of performance, the PIRS technique described in the study should be taken into account when choosing a treatment method for non-traumatic

Background Magnetic resonance imaging using gadoxetic acid, a hepatocyte-specific contrast agent, is one of the most useful MRI techniques used to diagnose liver tumours in humans. During the hepato-biliary phase, there is uptake of gadoxetic acid by normal hepatocytes, leading to hepatic parenchymal enhancement. This feature is used in human medicine to diagnose hepatic parenchymal metastatic disease, to differentiate primary liver tumours, to diagnose liver cirrhosis and focal nodular hyperplasia. This study presents the preliminary results of magnetic resonance imaging of focal lesions localised in the liver parenchyma in dogs following the administration of gadoxetic acid. Results The lesion enhancement ratio (ER lesion ) in the tumour metastasis was 0.05; the liver enhancement ratio (ER liver ) – 0.49 and the post-contrast lesion-to-liver contrast ratio (CR) was 0.17. In dogs with hepatocellular hyperplasia, these values were 0.54; 0.51; and 1.18, respectively. In two dogs with a hepatic adenoma, the ER lesion was 0.26 and 0.17, respectively; the ER liver was 0.47 and 0.47, respectively and the CR was 0.33 and 0.31, respectively. In the dog with a neuroendocrine tumour, the ER lesion was 0.03; the ER liver amounted to 0.58 and the CR was 0.35. In the case of a hepatocellular carcinoma, these coefficients were 0.2, 0.6 and 0.3, respectively. Conclusion Based on the results, it may be assumed that the MR images of the proliferative hepatic parenchymal lesions in dogs using gadoxetic acid are similar to those obtained in humans. This suggests that the contrast enhancement patterns used in human medicine may be useful in differentiating hepatic parenchymal lesions in dogs.

A 13-year old male Poodle dog was presented with a considerable disparity in the size of testes. Palpation demonstrated enlargement of the right testicle; smooth surface without any sign of nodular hyperplasia was detected. Both testes were removed, the enlarged one was sent to a histopathology laboratory. Microscopic examination revealed massive neoplastic proliferation of the testicular germ cell tumour (seminoma) and an accompanying smaller tumour originating from the interstitial Leydig cells (Leydigoma), which was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. Simultaneous occurrence of two different types of tumours in testes is possible, representing a multiple primary malignancy case, which is a rare phenomenon in veterinary practice.

The aim was to assess the relationships between cardiovascular activity, corneal pulse characteristics, and corneal biomechanics in rabbits. Seventeen rabbits were randomly assigned to one of two anesthetic regimens to induce differences in arterial blood pressure and heart rate. Experimental protocol included measuring blood flow parameters in the ophthalmic artery by color Doppler imaging, corneal biomechanical parameters using a non-contact tonometer Corvis ST, and the corneal pulse (CP) signal using a non-contact ultrasonic technique. Statistically significantly lower mean values of normalized amplitudes of higher CP harmonics and changes in eight of the twelve corneal biomechanical parameters were observed in the rabbit group with lower arterial blood pressure and higher heart rate, intraocular pressure, and resistive index. The results of partial correlations showed that the CP signal energy and amplitude of its first harmonic correlate with the resistive index, diastolic and mean arterial pressures, whereas no statistically significant correlation was found between any of the CP parameters and intraocular pressure. Our pilot study indicates, for the first time, that non-contact and continuous measuring of corneal pulse allows indirectly assessing changes in cardiovascular activity when the confounding effect of intraocular pressure is eliminated.

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