Objective: To describe the technique and outcomes of laparoscopic adrenalectomy (LA) in cats with adrenocortical neoplasia.Study design: Retrospective case series.Animals: Eleven client-owned cats with unilateral adrenal tumors.Methods: Medical records of cats that underwent LA for unilateral functional adrenal tumors at 3 veterinary teaching hospitals were reviewed. Data collected included signalment, clinical signs, physical examination findings, diagnostic imaging results, preoperative laboratory tests, laparoscopic port placement and techniques, duration of anesthesia and surgery, complications, concomitant procedures, need for conversion to an open celiotomy, histopathological diagnosis, and postoperative survival.Results: Eleven cats were included, 5 with right-sided and 6 with left-sided tumors. Tumors were aldosterone-secreting (n 5 8), progesterone-secreting (n 5 2), or testosterone-secreting (n 5 1). Adrenalectomy was successfully performed in all 11 cats although 4 cases required conversion to an open celiotomy, due to poor visualization (n 5 2), close adherence of the tumor to the caudal vena cava (n 5 1), and inability to maintain adequate pneumoperitoneum (n 5 1). Ten of the 11 cats were discharged from the hospital, with a median survival time of 803 days (range 467-1123 days). One cat died from severe pancreatitis and cardiogenic pulmonary edema. Conclusion:Adrenalectomy can be performed in cats via laparoscopy but is technically challenging, and associated with a relatively high conversion rate (36%).

Objective: To evaluate the effects of intrathoracic insufflation on cardiorespiratory variables and working space in cats undergoing video-assisted thoracic surgery. Study design: Prospective randomized study. Animals: Six healthy cats. Methods: Cats were anesthetized using a standardized protocol. A Swan-Ganz catheter was positioned in the pulmonary artery under fluoroscopic guidance for measurement of cardiac output. Intrathoracic pressures (ITP) of 0 (baseline), 3, and 5 mm Hg were induced with CO 2 and maintained for 30 minutes. Statistical comparison of cardiorespiratory variables was performed. After the procedures, all cats were recovered from anesthesia. Videos of thoracic working space at each ITP level were scored in a blinded fashion by 3 board-certified surgeons using a numerical scale from 0-10. Results: All cats tolerated insufflation with 3 and 5 mm Hg for 30 minutes without oxygen desaturation, although ventilatory levels had to be increased substantially to maintain eucapnia and oxygenation. Cardiac index was not significantly different from baseline after 30 minutes at 3 mm Hg but was significantly lower after 30 minutes at 5 mm Hg compared with 3 mm Hg. Oxygen delivery was unaffected by 3 or 5 mm Hg compared with baseline. Scores for working space increased between baseline and 3 and 5 mm Hg but were not different between 3 and 5 mm Hg. Conclusion: CO 2 insufflation to 5 mm Hg seems well tolerated in healthy cats, provided ventilatory settings are substantially increased as ITP increases. Clinical significance: Thoracic CO 2 insufflation of 3 mm Hg in cats during videoassisted thoracic surgery is associated with less hemodynamic perturbation than 5 mm Hg insufflation and may provide the benefit of improved working space compared with baseline.

A 3-yr-old female spayed grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) was evaluated for seizure activity along with lethargy, inappetence, dull mentation, and aggressive behavior. Magnetic resonance (MR) examination of the brain revealed a contrast-enhanced right cerebellar mass with multifocal smaller nodules located in the left cerebellum, thalamus, hippocampus, and cerebrum with resultant obstructive hydrocephalus. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis revealed mild mononuclear pleocytosis, with differentials including inflammatory versus neoplastic processes. Blood and cerebrospinal fluid were also submitted for polymerase chain reaction and agar gel immunodiffusion to rule out infectious causes of meningitis/encephalitis. While awaiting these results, the bear was placed on steroid and antibiotic therapy. Over the next week, the bear deteriorated; she died 1 wk after MR. A complete postmortem examination, including immunohistochemisty, revealed the cerebellar mass to be a medulloblastoma. This is the only case report, to the authors' knowledge, describing a medulloblastoma in a grizzly bear.

A 6-year-old neutered male German shepherd dog was evaluated for obtundation, blindness, and bilateral exophthalmos. A magnetic resonance imaging scan of the brain was performed and identified an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) with several feeding arterial branches, and venous drainage through the cavernous sinus.Venous vessels rostral to the AVM were severely distended and extended into the retrobulbar spaces. Liquid embolization by injection of ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer was performed from access points in the maxillary arteries and internal carotid arteries. No intraprocedural complications were encountered, and the dog was discharged the next day. Bilateral enucleation eventually was performed because of exposure keratopathy. At 31 months post-embolization, owners reported that the dog was doing very well clinically with high activity level and normal appetite, and the dog also appeared to be pain free. Although intracranial AVMs are very rare in companion animals, successful treatment using liquid embolization is possible and should be considered.

A 53-year-old woman presented with painful swelling of the right forefoot presenting clinically as a metatarsal stress fracture. Radiographs showed destructive changes, and diagnostic imaging revealed an aggressive neoplasm. The lesion was biopsied, and the pathologic diagnosis was metastatic melanoma. A thorough physical examination and advanced imaging did not reveal a primary tumor. Ray resection was performed with en bloc resection of the neoplasm. The patient continues to receive long-term immune stimulation chemotherapy 34 months after the ray resection.