Retrospective study and case report

Flexural deformity of the distal interphalangeal joint is an important disorder in horses,which can be acquired during the first year of life, often as a result of lateralization duringgrazing. In this retrospective study, the medical files of 51 cases presented at the Faculty ofVeterinary Medicine of Ghent University (1999-2013) were analyzed, followed by a telephonequestionnaire. In 65% of the conservatively treated patients, the hoof conformation correctedcompletely, which was not significantly different from what was seen in the surgically treatedgroup (complete correction in 56% of cases). Foals treated conservatively before the age of sixmonths and foals treated surgically before twelve months of age, had a significantly better chanceof a successful correction than older foals. Moreover, cases in which treatment did not restore thehoof conformation completely, presented a significantly higher chance of (persisting) lamenessand were significantly less likely to have an athletic career. Finally, this study proved a significantassociation between the hoof conformation of the dam and her foals.

ABSTRACTIn this retrospective study, the MR findings of ten cats with acute post-traumatic spondylomyelopathywere described and the most useful MR sequences were determined. Spinal cordinjury (SCI), bone and muscle trauma were compared with the clinical outcome (recovery oreuthanasia). The extension of spinal cord injury (SCI) was measured in vertebral body length(VBL). Of the ten cats, only five fully recovered. In the recovery group, no SCI (n=1) or SCI<1 VBL (n=4) were found. In the group of euthanized dogs, SCI > 2 VBLs (n=4) or spinal cordtransection (n=1) were found. Lesions were best seen on T2WSE (spinal cord injury), STIR (softtissue trauma) and T1WSE (bone injury). Low-field MR was therefore helpful to assess felinespinal trauma and may prove helpful to predict the clinical outcome, although a larger caseseries is needed. The authors suggest that protocols with low-field MR should include T1WSE,T2WSE and STIR sequences.

 A mesenchymal hamartoma in the dorsomedial eyelid of a Staffordshire bull terrier and the incidence and histological features of twenty-two canine mesenchymal periocular hamartoma cases are reported. The archives of the "Comparative Ocular Pathology Laboratory" of Wisconsin (USA) were searched for canine mesenchymal periocular hamartoma. Signalment, clinical appearance, location and histological findings are summarized for twenty-two dogs, containing fourteen different breeds, between four and fourteen years old. Fifteen hamartomas were located at the lateral canthus. Histologically, they consisted of fully differentiated fibrous tissue interspersed with adipose tissue, with bundles of skeletal/smooth muscle in ten cases, and peripheral nerve tissue in two cases. No mitotic figures were noted. Mesenchymal hamartomas may present as a subcutaneous, subconjunctival or orbital mass. Although they have a predisposition to occur at the lateral canthus, they may be located elsewhere on the eyelids or in the orbit.