2010 - 79 (2)

Ultrasonography has become an important imaging modality for the evaluation of small structures, suchas thyroid glands, lymph nodes and adrenal glands, because it is relatively inexpensive, it is non-invasive andit does not require general anesthesia. Both normal and abnormal small structures can be seen, though thisdepends to a great extent on the quality of the equipment and the operator skills. For thyroid glands, it canbe used to assess thyroid carcinomas, canine hypothyroidism and feline hyperthyroidism. Ultrasonography isalso a very valuable modality for evaluating superficial and abdominal lymph nodes. By combining differentultrasonographic criteria, it is possible to accurately differentiate normal from reactive or malignant lymphnodes. Finally, the adrenal glands can be evaluated ultrasonographically in cases of hyperadrenocorticism(pituitary- or adrenal-dependent), hyperaldosteronism, hypoadrenocorticism and adrenal neuroendocrinetumors.

A 12-year-old domestic shorthair was presented with acute paraplegia. On the basis of radiography andmyelography, a presumable diagnosis of disk herniation at the level of T9T10 was made. The cat was treatedconservatively and recovered from paraplegia with only mild residual ataxia. Follow-up for more than one yearshowed no changes or recurrence of the symptoms.

An 8 months pregnant Belgian blue heifer was presented because of an excessive swelling of the abdomen.Clinical examination revealed that the heifer was suffering from a hydrops uteri and parturition was induced. The calf,born by caesarean section, had a big red colored mass on its mandible. Necropsy and histology identified the swellingas a vascular hamartoma.

This paper describes the birth of the first intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) foal in the Benelux.Oocytes were aspirated from ovaries from slaughtered mares. After in vitro maturation, the oocytes werefertilized by ICSI and cultured in vitro for 9 days. Two embryos reached the blastocyst stage and they weretransferred to the uterus of a synchronized mare. Six days later a single embryonic vesicle was diagnosed byultrasound. After a normal pregnancy a healthy foal was born on the 27th of October 2009. Parentage testingvia microsatellite genotyping confirmed that the foal originated from the transferred embryo.

Paper in Dutch

Palatoschisis is a frequently occurring birth defect in man and domestic animals. It is caused by a failureof the elevation, apposition or fusion of the lateral palatine processes, resulting in the persistence of a slit-likeopening between the oral and nasal cavities. Due to swallowing difficulties, this condition eventually leads tosevere malnutrition and life-threatening aspiration pneumonia unless adequate treatment is provided. Theformation of the palate is the result of a sequence of well-regulated steps. Palatoschisis can result from anyinterference with local cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis, the aberrant production ofmucopolysaccharides or interference with the active extension of the neck. It results from a single or combinedaction of genetic, mechanical and/or environmental teratogenic factors. The complex etiology of a cleft palate,its potential hereditary characteristics and possible association with other congenital defects should becarefully considered prior to any corrective therapy.

Paper in Dutch

Diagnosing acute pancreatitis in dogs and cats is difficult. Abdominal ultrasonography provides specificinformation about the size, shape and homogeneity of the pancreas, but is very dependent on the experienceof the operator and the quality of the echography machine. Abdominal radiography is less useful, whilecomputed tomography is less practicable in veterinary patients because of the anesthesia risks, the need forexperienced operators, and the high cost. Furthermore, computed tomography has low diagnostic value in cats.Biopsy of pancreatic tissue remains the gold standard. Treatment consists of fluid therapy and nutritionalsupport, combined with pain medication, anti-emetics and antibiotics. The prognosis in dogs and cats isvariable and largely depends on the clinical condition of the patient at admission. It is usually guarded,especially in cats.

Twenty-three dogs with insulinoma were included in this retrospective study. These tumors were mostly foundin middle-aged to old dogs, weighing over 25 kg. The most important symptoms were weakness, seizures andcollapse. The mean duration of clinical signs before referral was 5 months. Interestingly, the onset of clinical signswas reported more frequently during the summer months.Paired serum glucose and insulin concentrations were measured in all dogs. Fructosamine concentrations weremeasured in more than one third of the cases, all showing levels lower than normal (258 μmol/l). In 50% of the dogs,abdominal ultrasound detected signs of an insulinoma, but only in one third of the cases nodules were visible.Scintigraphy, with the radiopharmaceutical drug Indium-111 pentetreotide, was performed in 6 dogs, with a detectionrate of 83%. Electrophysiological examination of 3 dogs confirmed the clinical signs of an insulinoma-associatedpolyneuropathy. Histopathological examination of 5 dogs demonstrated the presence of an insulinoma.In one third of the dogs metastases were present at the time of diagnosis. The mean survival time after diagnosiswas 10,3 months. There was no significant difference in survival between the medicinally and surgically treatedgroup. However, it is difficult to make a definitive conclusion, because of the low number of surgically treated dogs.