Computer simulation of syringomyelia in dogs

Syringomyelia is a pathological condition in which fluid-filled cavities (syringes) form and expand in the spinal cord. Syringomyelia is often linked with obstruction of the craniocervical junction and a Chiari malformation, which is similar in both humans and animals. Some brachycephalic toy breed dogs such as Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (CKCS) are particularly predisposed. The exact mechanism of the formation of syringomyelia is undetermined and consequently with the lack of clinical explanation, engineers and mathematicians have resorted to computer models to identify possible physical mechanisms that can lead to syringes. We developed a computer model of the spinal cavity of a CKCS suffering from a large syrinx. The model was excited at the cranial end to simulate the movement of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and the spinal cord due to the shift of blood volume in the cranium related to the cardiac cycle. To simulate the normal condition, the movement was prescribed to the CSF. To simulate the pathological condition, the movement of CSF was blocked

Clinical Course and Diagnostic Findings of Biopsy Controlled Presumed Immune-Mediated Polyneuropathy in 70 European Cats

There is a paucity of information on the clinical course and outcome of young cats with polyneuropathy. The aim of the study was to describe the clinical features, diagnostic investigations, and outcome of a large cohort of cats with inflammatory polyneuropathy from several European countries. Seventy cats with inflammatory infiltrates in intramuscular nerves and/or peripheral nerve biopsies were retrospectively included. Information from medical records and follow up were acquired via questionnaires filled by veterinary neurologists who had submitted muscle and nerve biopsies (2011-2019). Median age at onset was 10 months (range: 4-120 months). The most common breed was British short hair (25.7%), followed by Domestic short hair (24.3%), Bengal cat (11.4%), Maine Coon (8.6%) and Persian cat (5.7%), and 14 other breeds. Male cats were predominantly affected (64.3%). Clinical signs were weakness (98.6%) and tetraparesis (75.7%) in association with decreased withdrawal reflexes (83.6%) and, less commonly, cranial nerve signs (17.1%), spinal pain/hyperesthesia (12.9%), and micturition/defecation problems (14.3%). Onset was sudden (30.1%) or insidious (69.1%), and an initial progressive phase was reported in 74.3%. Characteristic findings on electrodiagnostic examination were presence of generalized spontaneous electric muscle activity (89.6%), decreased motor nerve conduction velocity (52.3%), abnormal F-wave studies (72.4%), pattern of temporal dispersion (26.1%) and unremarkable sensory tests. The clinical course was mainly described as remittent (49.2%) or remittent-relapsing (34.9%), while stagnation, progressive course or waxing and waning were less frequently reported. Relapses were common and occurred in 35.7% of the cats' population. An overall favorable outcome was reported in 79.4% of patients. In conclusion, young age at the time of diagnosis and sudden onset of clinical signs were significantly associated with recovery (p < 0.05). Clinical and electrodiagnostic features and the remittent-relapsing clinical course resembles juvenile chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), as seen in human (children/adolescents), in many aspects

Biopsy Characteristics, Subtypes, and Prognostic Features in 107 Cases of Feline Presumed Immune-Mediated Polyneuropathy

Inflammatory polyradiculoneuropathy (IMPN) is one of the causes of sudden onset of neuromuscular signs such as para-/tetraparesis in young cats. Even though most cases have a favorable outcome, persistent deficits, relapses, and progressive courses are occasionally seen. As clinical presentation does not always appear to predict outcome and risk of recurrence, this study was initiated to screen for prognostic biopsy findings in a large cohort of histologically confirmed IMPN cases with clinical follow-up. In total, nerve and muscle specimens of 107 cats with biopsy diagnosis of presumed autoreactive inflammatory polyneuropathy and 22 control cases were reviewed by two blinded raters for a set of 36 histological parameters. To identify patterns and subtypes of IMPN, hierarchical k-means clustering of 33 histologic variables was performed. Then, the impact of histological parameters on IMPN outcome was evaluated via an univariate analysis to identify variables for the final multivariate model. The data on immediate outcome and follow-up were collected from submitting neurologists using a purpose-designed questionnaire. Hierarchical k-means clustering sorted the tissues into 4 main categories: cluster 1 (44/129) represents a purely inflammatory IMPN picture, whereas cluster 2 (47/129) was accompanied by demyelinating features and cluster 3 (16/129) by Wallerian degeneration. Cluster 4 (22/129) reflects normal tissues from non-neuropathic control cats. Returned questionnaires provided detailed information on outcome in 63 animals. They were categorized into recovered and non-recovered. Thereby, fiber-invasive infiltrates by mononuclear cells and mild fiber loss in intramuscular nerve branches correlated with higher probabilities of recovery. Remyelination in semithin sections, on the other hand, is correlated with a less favorable outcome. Animals grouping in cluster 1 had a tendency to a higher probability of recovery compared to other clusters. In conclusion, diagnosis of feline IMPN from nerve and muscle biopsies allowed for the identification of histologic features that were positively or negatively correlated with outcome

Späte Komplikation nach Tracheotomie

Einleitung: Der Abgang der Arteria subclavia dexter, auch Arteria lusoria, aus dem absteigenden linksseitigen Aortenbogen ist mit einer Prävalenz von 1% die häufigste Anomalie des Aortenbogens. In 80% der Fälle verläuft sie retroösophageal, in 15% zwischen Trachea und Ösophagus und in 5% prätracheal. Kasuistik: Uns wurde eine 57 jährige Patientin mit Trisomie 21 zur Tracheotomie vorgestellt. Bei respiratorischer Insuffizienz nach Grand mal Anfall war sie langzeitintubationspflichtig. Bei Apoplex drei Wochen postoperativ bestand Bettlägerigkeit. Fünf Wochen postoperativ erfolgte die stationäre Aufnahme wegen Pneumonie. Hier kam es zu einer fulminanten Blutung aus dem Tracheostoma. Nach frustranem Versuch der operativen Revision zeigte sich in der computertomographischen Angiographie eine Arteria lusoria mit langstreckigem Kontakt zur Trachea. In anschließender digitaler Subtraktions-Angiographie ließ sich ein erhebliches Kontrastmittel-Extravasat darstellen. Nach Katheterisierung der A. lusoria konnte ein Stentgraft über der Blutungsstelle platziert und eine suffiziente Blutstillung erreicht werden. Schlussfolgerung: Blutungen auf Grund tracheo-arterieller Fisteln sind seltene Spät-Komplikationen nach Tracheotomie. Häufig ist dabei eine Fistel zwischen Trachea und Truncus brachiocephalicus (Häufigkeit nach Tracheotomie < 1%) als tödlich verlaufende Blutungskomplikation. Annährend 75% der beschriebenen Fälle treten 4-5 Wochen nach Tracheotomie auf. Dabei gelten die extreme Überstreckung des Halses, eine Trachealkanüle mit Hochdruckcuff bzw. Überblockung des Cuffs und eine Tracheotomie unterhalb der 3 Trachealspange als Risikofaktoren, die durch hohe Druckverhältnisse bzw. die Arrosion der trachealen Schleimhaut am unteren Kanülenende die Fistelbildung begünstigen.Der Erstautor gibt keinen Interessenkonflikt an

Späte Komplikation nach Tracheotomie

The preparation of conjugated polymer particles with uniform size is presented and discussed. The particles can selfassemble into photonic crystal arrangements exhibiting a photonic band-gap. This way, active optical assemblies with an optical stop-band and an independent fluorescence band can be fabricated. To showcase the applicability of the particles, which can be processed from dispersion, optical core sheath fibers are presented. The particles can be extruded into the core of the fiber with polyacrylonitrile as the cladding material. The particle dispersions can be easily processed by dryspinning and are confined to only the core of the fiber, where they assemble into a random close packing.</p