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Objective: To report surgical treatment of severe otitis media in an alpaca by a modification of a subtotal ear canal ablation and lateral bulla osteotomy technique used in dogs., Study Design: Case report., Animals: An 11-week-old female alpaca cria., Methods: The cria had a 2-week history of right otitis media, nonresponsive to medical treatment, as well as right facial nerve paralysis, and a melting corneal ulcer of the right eye. Otitis media was confirmed by computed tomography. Right subtotal ear canal ablation and lateral bulla osteotomy were performed using a modification of a technique reported in dogs., Results: There were no surgical complications and the alpaca was discharged from the hospital 5 days later. At 10 months, moderate motor function had been restored to the pinna with the ear standing partially erect. The otitis had resolved, and the alpaca was reportedly well integrated into the herd., Conclusion: Subtotal ear canal ablation and lateral bulla osteotomy, a technique modified from that performed in dogs, were successful in providing complete clinical resolution of otitis media in an alpaca., (© Copyright 2011 by The American College of Veterinary Surgeons.)

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic potential of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compared with a reference standard, arthroscopic and/or open surgery, in dogs with soft tissue shoulder pathology., Study Design: Retrospective study., Animals: Dogs (n=21)., Methods: Magnetic resonance (MR) images were retrospectively evaluated in 21 dogs that had surgically identified soft tissue shoulder pathology. The musculotendinous units of the biceps, infraspinatus, teres minor, supraspinatus, subscapularis, and the medial and lateral glenohumeral ligaments (MGHL and LGHL) were graded as either normal or abnormal. Abnormal structures were further classified as being either inflamed, partially torn, or fully torn. Impingement of the biceps tendon was also evaluated. Results were reported in terms of agreement and concordance between MRI findings and surgical findings. Agreement was defined as the percentage of times MRI findings concurred with surgical findings with respect to a structure being either normal or abnormal. Concordance was defined as the percentage of times MRI concurred with the exact surgically assessed pathology when abnormality was identified., Results: The findings were biceps tendon: 90% agreement with 100% concordance; subscapularis: 95% agreement with 62% concordance; MGHL: 84% agreement with 83% concordance; LGHL: 88% agreement with 100% concordance; infraspinatus: 100% both agreement and concordance; biceps tendon impingement: 90% agreement with 100% concordance., Conclusions: Soft tissue abnormalities of the canine shoulder were readily identified on preoperative MR images., Clinical Relevance: MRI shows great potential as a diagnostic tool in the evaluation of canine shoulder disease.

Objectives: To describe the normal anatomy of the soft tissue stabilizing components of the canine shoulder identified by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to evaluate specific acquisition sequences and planes for observing structures of diagnostic interest., Study Design: Descriptive study., Animal: Canine cadavers (n=3)., Methods: T1-weighted, proton density fat saturation (PD), and T2(*)-weighted gradient echo (GE) MRI sequences were obtained in the sagittal, transverse, and dorsal planes of the left shoulder of 3 canine cadavers. After imaging, each shoulder was embedded and thin sectioned. The corresponding right shoulder was frozen and thick sectioned. The anatomic structures on the histologic and frozen thick sections were visually correlated with the MR images., Results: The sagittal plane provided a longitudinal view of the bicep, infraspinatus, and supraspinatus tendons. The biceps, supraspinatus, infraspinatus, and subscapularis tendons, and the medial and lateral glenohumeral ligaments were identified in the transverse and dorsal planes. The dorsal plane allowed for the bicep tendon to be evaluated transversely as it passed over the humeral head. The GE sequence was more useful in identifying tendons and ligaments. The PD sequence was more helpful in identifying fluid accumulations in the joint and around tendons., Conclusions: The tendinous and ligamentous structures that stabilize the canine shoulder joint can be readily identified with MRI., Clinical Relevance: MRI has the potential to be a useful tool in the diagnosis of canine soft tissue shoulder injuries.