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Introduction: Canine Elbow dysplasia (CED) is one of the most common cause of artropathy in large and giant size dogs. At least 4 forms of CED are described: Ununited Anconeal Process (UAP); Osteocondritis dissecans (OCD) of the humeral condyle; fragmented medial coronoid process (FMCP); elbow incongruity (EI) for short radius, short ulna or underdeveloped ulnar troclear notch. CED is often assessed using computed tomography (CT), particularly in case of inconsistent or not definitive radiographical diagnosis. However, until now there is not any standardized protocol for the elbow CT. A number of procedures have been proposed, but they all require a great stressful positioning of the cervical spine since the head is pulled laterally or caudally, in order to avoid beam-hardening and streak artifacts. The aim of this study was to describe CT findings in dogs with CED and to propose a new, non-stressful procedure for CT of the canine elbow using a lateral recumbent position and a specifically designed positioning device. Material and Methods: The study was performed at the Interdepartmental Radiology Veterinary Centre of the University Federico II of Naples and it was developed in two steps: first, a retrospective analysis of CT exams of the elbow performed on dogs affected by suspect CED, from January 2005 to December 2011; and second, a prospective analysis of CT exams performed with the new proposed procedure, from January 2012 to December 2016. All of the CT exams were performed on dogs under general anesthesia. In all subjects, both elbows were studied at the same time. In the new procedure, the dogs were placed on the CT bed ever in the lateral recumbent position with the forelimbs cranially pulled and, in order to obtain the best elbow alignment and to remove the air gap between the neck and the forelimbs, a purpose-handmade positioning device, shaped from polyurethane foam, was used. For comparative purposes, in two dogs, the elbow CT was also performed using a previously described procedure, i.e. in sternal recumbent position with the forelimbs parallel one to each other and cranially extended and the head and neck laterally and caudally pulled. All of the CT exams were obtained using 1 mm thick contiguous axial slices at 120 kV and 200–260 mAs, together with a bone convolution filter, and evaluated on a workstation equipped with a DICOM software, using a bone window [window level (WL) 500, window width (WW) 3000]. In order to improve the evaluation, multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) and three dimensional volume rendering (3D-VR) images were obtained too. For each joint, the presence or absence of a primary lesion (FCP, OCD, UAP, EI), possibly associated to a “Kissing Lesions” (KL), was assessed. Furthermore, each joint was analytically assessed for the visualization of relevant anatomical landmarks such as the medial coronoid process, humero-radio-ulnar joint space, anconeal process, humeral condyle, subchondral bone, proximal radial and ulnar relationship. In addition, the presence of sclerosis, periarticular osteophites, subchondral cyst-like lesions, deformed, fissured or fragmented medial coronoid process, incongruence from short radius, short ulna or underdeveloped ulnar troclear notch were evaluated too. CT quality was assessed measuring the image noise represented by the standard deviation of Hounsfiel unit (HU) in a region of interes (ROI) manually traced around the bones of the elbows at three omologous level. Data obtained were compared using the Wilcoxon rank test for paired data, with a significance level of p

Objective: To evaluate outcomes after percutaneous application of transilial pinning in dogs with seventh lumbar vertebral body fracture with concurrent lumbosacral luxation. Methods: We reviewed the medical records of dogs with seventh lumbar vertebral body fracture stabilized with percutaneous transilial pinning that were treated at our hospital between January 2000 and March 2014. Radiographic measurements were used for comparing craniocaudal and ventrodorsal displacement pre- and postoperatively. Results: Seventeen dogs met the inclusion criteria. The neurological status of the majority of treated dogs improved quickly, with immediate pain reduction after surgery. Implants were well tolerated throughout the application period and were removed at a mean time of 54.4 +/- 9.2 days. One dog experienced a major complication (implant failure) and required surgical revision a week after the initial procedure. Minor complications included pin-tract inflammation, signs of back pain lasting five weeks and acute lameness after implant removal. Postoperative radiographic measurements showed shortening of the vertebral body and residual dorsoventral dislocation. Otherwise, functional recovery was good (5 of 17 dogs) to excellent (10 of 17 dogs) in the majority of the patients. Clinical relevance: The use of two percutaneous transilial pins can be considered as treatment for the management of seventh lumbar fracture-luxation in dogs. Our modified stabilization technique is relatively easy to perform; less invasive on the soft tissues; and uses implants that are versatile, modifiable, and easily removable.

SummaryCase description: A three-year-old cat was referred to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Naples, Italy. The cat had severe pelvic limb deformity, and abnormal development of all four paws.Clinical findings: Radiographs revealed bilateral tibial agenesis, syndactyly, and digital hypoplasia.Treatment and outcome: No treatment was instituted because of the severity of the injury, the adaptation of the cat to the abnormal condition, and the owner's refusal to permit any treatment.Clinical relevance: Congenital limb deformities are rarely reported in the cat and tibial agenesis is considered a very rare disease. This congenital anomaly is well documented and classified in man, and it has been associated with other abnormalities in more complex syndromes. This paper reports clinical and radiographic findings in a cat affected by bilateral complete tibial agenesis associated with other congenital anomalies.

Objectives The objectives were to determine the resistive index (RI) in normal cats and in cats with various renal diseases, and to evaluate the effect of age on RI. Methods The subjects were cats that had ultrasonography (US) of the urinary tract and RI measurement at our centre between January 2003 and April 2014. Based on clinical evaluation, biochemical and haematological tests, urinalysis and US, the cats were classified as healthy or diseased. RI measurements were made from the interlobar or arcuate arteries. Data were analysed for differences between the right and the left kidney, the two sexes, different age groups in healthy cats, and between healthy and diseased cats. Results A total of 116 cats (68 males, 48 females) were included: 24 healthy and 92 diseased. In the healthy cats, RI (mean ± SD) differed significantly ( P = 0.02) between the right kidney (0.54 ± 0.07) and the left kidney (0.59 ± 0.08). For the left kidney, RI was significantly higher in cats with chronic kidney disease (0.73 ± 0.12) and acute kidney injury (0.72 ± 0.08) ( P = 0.0008). For the right kidney, RI was significantly higher in cats with chronic kidney disease (0.72 ± 0.11), acute kidney injury (0.74 ± 0.08), polycystic kidney disease (0.77 ± 0.11) and renal tumour (0.74 ± 0.001) ( P Conclusions and relevance RI could be considered a valuable diagnostic tool in cats, useful in the differential diagnosis of diffuse renal diseases. While it does not change with the age of the cat, ultrasonographers should be aware that RI may differ between the two kidneys.