Antonio Cezar de Oliveira Dearo

Exame do fluido peritoneal e hemograma de eqüinos submetidos à laparotomia e infusäo intraperitoneal de carboximetilcelulose

Intraperitoneal application of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) has been used for peritoneal adhesions prevention in animals and humans. The objectives of this research was to study the peritoneal response to surgical trauma and application of CMC and also to study how CMC excretion occurs. Nineteen healthy mixed breed horses were submited to laparotomy to produce lesions in distal jejunum by serosal abrasion and ischemia. In the nine horses of the treatment group, 7ml/kg of a 1% CMC sterile solution were instilated in peritoneal cavity before abdominal wall syntesis. No medication was instiled in peritoneal cavitiy of the control group horses. After surgery, blood and peritoneal fluid were colected in 9 postoperative moments: 4 hours after surgical end, on the morning of the 3 subsequent days and on the morning of the 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th and 13th postoperative days. Laboratory tests showed that all animals developed peritoneal inflammation. However, in treatement group, inflammation was more severe. It also could be observed that CMC excretion occured by fagocitosis.

Ocorrência de doenças oftalmológicas em eqüinos utilizados para tração urbana na cidade de Londrina, PR

The clinical records of 805 horses admitted to the Veterinary Hospital of the State University of Londrina between 1992 and 2007 were reviewed in order to establish the occurrence of ophthalmologic diseases in horses used for hauling carts in Londrina, Parana, Brazil. Among these records, there were 25 ophthalmologic cases (3.1%), composed of 12 cases (48%) of corneal diseases, six cases (24%) of cataracts, six cases (24%) of conjunctival diseases (associated or not to other lesions), two cases (8%) of recurrent equine uveitis, one case of squamous cell carcinoma of the third eyelid, one case of chronic necrotic eyelid lesion with loss of the eye globe and one case of phthisis bulbi (4% each). Trauma was the most important etiology for eye diseases diagnosed in this study (36%). Most of the ophthalmologic diseases seen in this study may cause blindness if not adequately treated, and this might prevent the animal from performing draught activities. Therefore, this study helps to emphasize the need of continuously making cart owners aware of the importance and prevention of such conditions.

Aderências peritoneais em eqüinos: tratamento profilático com carboximetilcelulose

Peritoneal adhesions form very often in horses submitted to laparotomy. Adhesions may be assymptomatic or they could cause complications such as colic and intestinal obstruction, sometimes with vascular strangulation. To evaluate intra-peritoneal use of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) in prevention of peritoneal adhesions in horses, the following experiment was conducted: eighteen clinically normal mixed breed horses were anesthetized and submitted to ventral midline laparotomy. Lesions in the distal jejunum were produced to induce peritoneal adhesion formation. In four horses (block I) six lesions were created: one segment 45cm in length was submitted to ischemia by ocluding mural circulation and mesenteric vessels for two hours; in five small areas with approximately three x five centimeters serosal abrasion was produced by rubbing a dry gauze sponge 100 times with a single chromic catgut suture placed in the center through the seromuscular layer. For the other fourteen animals (block II) the model adopted was similar with small chances: instead of one ischemic segment, four segments 25cm in length were created: abrasion of the five areas was produced with the jaw of an open Rochester forceps; the suture made in the center of the abrasion areas was a line of a simple continuous pattern with 2.5cm in length approximately. Horses were randomly placed into two groups. In nine animals (treatment group), a volume of 7 ml/kg of 1%cmC was instilled in the peritoneal cavity before abdominal wall synthesis. In the other nine animals (control group) the wall was sutured in the same way, but no drug was instilled in the peritoneal cavity. Horses were monitored daily. All animals were submitted to euthanasiu and necropsy fourteen days after surgery. Six of the nine animals in the control group and four of nine animals of treatment group developed peritaneal adhesions. There were no significant differences between the numher of animals with adhesians in the two groups nor between the number and the grade of adhesions developed in the groups. Animals in the treatment group did not show any sign of toxicity or hypersensivity forcmC. Based on these results it may be concluded that carboxymethylcellulose was not efficient in preventing peritoneal adhesions in equine small intestine induced by serosal abrasion and ischemia. Also it may be concluded that this drug did not cause any collateral effects neither impaired peritoneal healing.

UVEÍTE RECORRENTE EQÜINA (CEGUEIRA DA LUA)

Known as the leading cause of blindness in horses, equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) is characterized by several attacks of intra-ocular inflammation alternated with variable periods of clinical quiescence. Although many factors have been related to ERU it seems that Leptospira interrogans and the microfilaria of Onchocerca cervicalis play an important role in the pathogenesis through an immune-mediated mechanism. Clinical findings in the acute phase include variable degrees of epifora, blepharospasm, photophobia, conjunctival hyperemia, miosis, corneal opacity, aqueous flare, hyphema, and hypopyon. Clinical findings consistent with chronic phase include synechiae, changes in shape and pigmentation of the lens, cataract and lens luxation or subluxation. The principal goals of treatment are reduction of uveal inflammation, preservation of pupils motility, and prevention of blindness. Therapy consists mainly of antiinflamatory and mydriatics/cycloplegic drugs. The prognosis for preservation of vision varies with severity and frequency of recurrencies, and the success of the treatment.

Lesions (ulcers and/or erosions) and desquamations location in the gastric mucosa from asymptomatic Quarter Horse foals: endoscopic survey

Gastric ulcer accounts for an important cause of abdominal discomfort in young horses. Concerning either the presence or absence of clinical signs and their variations, the lesions location in the gastric mucosa and complications resulting from ulcerative lesions, four clinical syndromes have been described in foals: 1) Asymptomatic or silent ulcers; 2) Symptomatic or active ulcers; 3) Perforated ulcers; and 4) Gastric or duodenal obstruction. With the aim of studying the distribution of lesions (ulcers and/or erosions) and desquamations from the non-glandular epithelium in the gastric mucosa of young horses and a possible relationship between both alterations (lesion/desquamation), sixty Quarter Horse foals without signs of gastric disease underwent gastroscopy. Foals were divided by age in four groups of 15 animals as follows: 1 to 30 days, 31 to 60 days, 61 to 90 days and 91 to 120 days. Lesions were most prevalent in the stratified squamous epithelial mucosa mainly adjacent to the margo plicatus along the greater curvature followed by squamous mucosa next to the cardia along the lesser curvature, glandular and non-glandular fundus and antrum. Regions of the fundus and margo plicatus were similarly affected by desquamations. There was no association between lesions and desquamations occurrence.

Effects of two different deep digital flexor tenotomy techniques on distal articular angles of equine cadaver forelimbs

Deep digital flexor (DDF) tenotomy is a technique employed for years to treat selected disorders of the musculoskeletal system in horses. Although two different surgical approaches (i.e. mid-metacarpal and pastern) have been described for performing the procedure, in vitro quantitative data regarding the modifications induced by either technique on the distal articular angles is lacking. Therefore, the purpose of the study reported here was to investigate the viability of a proposed biomechanical system of induced-traction used to compare the two DDF tenotomy techniques by measuring the distal articular angles of equine cadaver forelimbs. Ten pairs of forelimbs were collected and mounted to a biomechanical system developed to apply traction at the toe level. Dorsal articular angles of the metacarpophalangeal (MP), proximal interphalangeal (PIP) and distal interphalangeal (DIP) joints were determined by geometric lines on radiographs taken before and after performing each technique. Comparisons between each tenotomy group and its own control, for each joint, and between the two tenotomy groups using as variable the difference between the tenotomy and control groups were tested. Despite the lack of statistical significance, the DDF tenotomy technique at the pastern level produced extension, to a lesser and greater extent, of the PIP and DIP joints, respectively when compared to the mid-metacarpal level. No remarkable differences could be observed for the MP joint. The developed traction-induced biomechanical construct seemed to be effective in producing valuable quantitative estimations of the distal articular angles of equine cadaver forelimbs subjected to different DDF tenotomy techniques.