Jeffrey A. Wortman

Association of Cauda Equina Compression on Magnetic Resonance Images and Clinical Signs in Dogs With Degenerative Lumbosacral Stenosis

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to examine the lumbosacral spine of 27 dogs with degenerative lumbosacral stenosis. Four normal dogs were also similarly imaged. Compression of the soft-tissue structures within the vertebral canal at the lumbosacral space was assessed in two ways: by measuring dorsoventral diameter on T1-weighted sagittal images and cross-sectional area on transverse images. The severity of the clinical signs was compared to the severity of cauda equina compression. No significant correlation was found. It is concluded that degree of compression as determined by MRI at time of presentation is independent of disease severity.

N-(N-Benzylpiperidin-4-yl)-2-[18F]fluorobenzamide: A potential ligand for PET imaging of σ receptors

Abstract Four nitro- and fluorobenzamides (1–4) have been synthesized in good yields from nitro- and fluoro-substituted benzoyl chloride with 4-amino-1-benzylpiperidine. In vitro studies showed that these compounds have high affinities to σ receptors. N -( N -Benzylpiperidin-4-yl)-2-fluorobenzamide (3), in particular, bound to σ receptors with high affinity (K i = 3.4 nM, guinea pig brain membranes) and high selectivity (σ-2σ-1 = 120). It was, therefore, labeled with 18 F and evaluated as a σ receptor radioligand. N -( N -Benzylpiperidin-4-yl)-2-[ 18 F]fluorobenzamide (3a) was synthesized in one step by nucleophilic substitution of the 2-nitro precursor (1) with [ 18 F]fluoride in DMSO at 140 °C for 20 min followed by purification with HPLC in 4–10% yield (decay corrected). The synthesis time was 90 min and the specific activity was 0.4-1.0 Ci/μmol. Tissue distribution in mice revealed that the uptakes of 3a in the brain, heart, liver, lungs, spleen, kidneys and small intestine were high, and the radioactivity in these organs remained constant from 60 to 120 min post-injection. The radioactivity in the bone did not significantly increase, suggesting in vivo defluorination may not be the major route of metabolism of 3a in mice. Blocking studies with haloperidol in rats indicated that the uptake of compound 3a in the rat brain was selective to haloperidol-sensitive σ sites. These results suggest that compound 3a is a potent σ receptor radioligand and may be a potential ligand for PET imaging of σ receptors in humans.

ULTRASONIC DETECTION OF SPLENIC NECROSIS IN THE DOG

Ultrasonographic findings of splenic infarction and necrosis in three dogs are presented. Two previously unreported ultrasonographic patterns are identified: (1) Focal, hypoechoic or isoechoic, circular, wellmarginated nodular masses with peripheral lesions causing deformation of the splenic margin. (2) Diffuse hypoechoic or heteroechoic coarse/“lacy” parenchymal pattern with no deformation of margin. The presence of gas within the splenic parenchyma of one dog was detected by both radiography and ultrasonography. Ultrasonographic patterns of splenic infarction in both man and the dog are discussed