No abstract

No abstract

B-mode ultrasound is an established imaging modality for evaluating canine tendon injury. However, full extent of tendon injury often remains difficult to estimate, as small changes in sonographic appearance are associated with large changes in biomechanical strength. The acoustoelastic strain gauge (ASG) is an ultrasound-based tissue evaluation technique that relates the change in echo intensity observed during relaxation or stretching of tendons to the tissue’s mechanical properties. This technique deduces stiffness gradient (the rate of change of normalized stiffness as a function of tissue strain) by analyzing the ultrasound dynamic images captured from gradually deforming tissue. Acoustoelastic strain gauge has been proven to accurately model strain and stiffness within tendons in vitro. To determine the feasibility and repeatability for in vivo ASG measurements of canine tendon function, stiffness gradients for the gastrocnemius tendons of ten clinically normal dogs were recorded by two non-independent observers at three sites (musculotendinous junction, mid tendon, and insertion). Average stiffness gradient indices (0.0132, 0.0141, 0.0136) and dispersion values (0.0053, 0.0054, 0.0057) for each site, respectively, were consistent with published mechanical properties for normal canine tendon. Mean differences of the average stiffness gradient index and dispersion value between observers and between limbs for each site were less than 16%. Using interclass coefficients (ICC), intraobserver (ICC 0.79–0.98) and interobserver (ICC 0.77–0.95) reproducibility was good to excellent. Right and left limb values were symmetric (ICC 0.74–0.92). Findings from this study indicated that ASG is a feasible and repeatable technique for measuring stiffness gradients in canine tendons.

Results indicated that acoustoelastography is a feasible and repeatable technique for measuring stiffness gradients in SDFTs in clinically normal horses, and could potentially be used to compare healthy and diseased tendon states.

Teratomas are germ cell neoplasms derived from 2 or more of the totipotential cell lines (ectoderm, mesoderm, endoderm). 5 The gonads are the most common location for development of teratomas in human beings and animals; however, these tumors can also develop at extragonadal locations, usually along the midline axis of the body. 5,13 Extragonadal teratomas have been infrequently reported in wild and domestic animals involving cutaneous structures, the alimentary tract, the kidneys, and retroperitoneal space, as well as other systems. 2,8,15,21 Descriptions of teratomas of the central nervous system are rare in both human beings and animals.17 Spinal teratomas in human beings are more common in pediatric patients, in whom they are typically observed in the sacrococcygeal region. 10,11,17 These tumors tend to be cystic, extradural structures localized proximal to the sacrum. In contrast, teratomas of the spinal cord in adults are usually found in the thoracolumbar spine. 17 Intraspinal teratomas account for 3%-9% of all intraspinal tumors in children, and although it is not possible to determine their incidence in domestic animals, reports of these conditions are exceedingly rare. 4 A recent report described a cervical spinal cord teratoma in a Giant Schnauzer and summarized the literature on canine intraspinal teratomas. 25In the ferret, teratomas have been described in the ovaries, uterus, and adrenal glands (Williams B: 1996, Bilateral adrenal teratomas in a domestic ferret (Mustela putorius furo). Vet Pathol 33:587. Abstract). 3,19,24 The current report describes the clinical, radiographic, and microscopic features of an intramedullary teratoma in a domestic ferret.An 18-month old, female, spayed domestic ferret (Mustela putorius furo) weighing 415 g presented to the University of Wisconsin, School of Veterinary Medicine (UWVMTH; Madison, Wisconsin) with a 2-week history of anorexia and lethargy. The ferret was fed a commercial ferret diet and lived in a large cage with 6 other ferrets. The owners reported that 1 week prior to presentation, the ferret seemed weak in the hind legs and could no longer climb. The ferret had been examined by the referring veterinarian (RDVM) 5 days prior to presentation for diarrhea, which coincided with the onset of hind limb paresis. The results of a plasma biochemistry panel determined by the RDVM were consistent with a mild hypoalbuminemia (2.6 g/dl, reference interval: 3.4-4.8 g/dl) and mild hyperglobulinemia (3.2 g/dl, reference interval: 0.2-2.4 g/dl). The results of a complete blood cell count (CBC) were unremarkable. The RDVM prescribed metronidazole (22 mg/kg orally every 12 hr) for the diarrhea. Despite medical therapy, there was no significant improvement in clinical signs, and the ataxia progressed.On presentation to the UWVMTH, the ferret was alert and mentally appropriate but small for its age and cachexic (body condition score of 1.5/9), with pronounced generalized muscle wasting. The perineal skin was hyperemic and wet from urine scalding, and the anus was swollen...