Small animal Review

Summary: This month's Small Animal Review summarises studies on the effect of surgical preparation solutions on body temperature in cats, the persistence of leptospires in canine urine following treatment outcomes of oesophageal stricture.

Leptomeningeal metastasis from melanoma emulating chronic subdural hematoma: a case report

Background Melanoma is a disease in which the patient doesn’t know about the primary lesion, and it has a propensity to metastases to any organ in the human body. Amongst melanoma, leptomeningeal metastasis has the least incidence. Case presentation In this case, we report a 56-year-old lady presenting with headache, recurrent vomiting and slurring of speech which on imaging was suggestive of chronic subdural hematoma which had led to surgical preparation but upon further examination, and radioimaging was found to be leptomeningeal metastasis from melanoma for which systemic therapy was started. Conclusions The concern is vigilance that is much needed in any case presenting in emergency. When the diagnosis is chronic subdural hematoma, it is followed by surgical treatment which is not done for leptomeningeal metastasis.

Experiences of Emergency Surgical Treatment for a COVID-19 Patient with Severe Traumatic Brain Injury at a Regional Trauma Center: A Case Report

Various medical scenarios have arisen with the prolonged coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In particular, the increasing number of asymptomatic COVID-19 patients has prompted reports of emergency surgical experiences with these patients at regional trauma centers. In this report, we describe an example. A 25-yearold male was admitted to the emergency room after a traffic accident. The patient presented with stuporous mentality, and his vital signs were in the normal range. Lacerations were observed in the left eyebrow area and preauricular area, with hemotympanum in the right ear. Brain computed tomography showed a contusional hemorrhage in the right frontal area and an epidural hematoma in the right temporal area with a compound, comminuted fracture and depressed skull bone. Surgical treatment was planned, and the patient was intubated to prepare for surgery. A blood transfusion was prepared, and a central venous catheter was secured. The initial COVID-19 test administered upon presentation to the emergency room had a positive result, and a confirmatory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test was administered. The PCR test confirmed a positive result. Emergency surgical treatment was performed because the patient’s consciousness gradually deteriorated. The risk of infection was high due to the open and unclean wounds in the skull and brain. We prepared and divided the COVID-19 surgical team, including the patient’s transportation team, anesthesia team, and surgical preparation team, for successful surgery without any transmission or morbidity. The patient recovered consciousness after the operation, received close monitoring, and did not show any deterioration due to COVID-19.

Interdisciplinary care for newborns with cleft lip and palate in a children's multidisciplinary hospital

Накопленный опыт детской хирургии новорожденных и современные методы диагностики (компьютерная и магнитно-резонансная томография, пренатальная диагностика) позволили изменить существующие сроки коррекции врожденных пороков лица. В статье подробно описана «Система оказания помощи детям с расщелиной губы и нёба в период новорожденности», разработанная и внедренная на кафедре стоматологии детского возраста и ортодонтии Сеченовского университета. Сформулированы необходимые условия для оказания помощи данной категории пациентов и показания к предхирургической подготовке, обоснована тактика лечения, анестезиологического обеспечения у данной категории новорожденных. В работе приведены результаты ранней хирургической коррекции врожденных пороков лица 46 новорожденным с расщелиной губы и нёба. Детей с расщелиной губы и альвеолярного отростка разделили на 2 группы. В первую группу (n = 30) вошли пациенты, у которых диастаз в области альвеолярных отростков составлял 10 мм и менее. В этом случае сразу выполнялась хейлоринопластика. Во вторую группу (n = 16) вошли дети с диастазом альвеолярного отростка верхней челюсти более 10 мм. Этим новорожденным проводилась предхирургическая ортодонтическая подготовка в течение 10-12 дней (установка ортоимплантатов и наложение эластической тяги – цепочки). Критерием готовности к операции являлось достижение ширины диастаза между фрагментами альвеолярного отростка 10 мм и менее. После этого проводилось одномоментное удаление ортоимплантатов и операция – хейлоринопластика. Новорожденным с расщелиной твердого и мягкого нёба (n = 4) выполнялась уранопластика по методике А. А. Мамедова. У всех пациентов достигнуты хорошие эстетические и функциональные результаты. The accumulated experience of pediatric surgery of newborns and diagnostic methods (CT, MRI, prenatal diagnostics) have made it possible to change the existing terms for the correction of congenital facial defects. The article describes in detail «A system of care for children with cleft lip and palate in the neonatal period», developed and implemented at the Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, Sechenov University. The necessary conditions for rendering assistance to this category of patients are described, indications for pre-surgical preparation are formulated, the tactics of treatment, anesthetic management in this category of newborns are substantiated. The article presents the results of early surgical correction of 46 newborns with cleft lip and palate. Children with cleft lip and alveolar bone were divided into 2 groups. The first group (n = 30) included patients whose diastasis in the area of the alveolar processes was 10 mm or less. In this case, cheilorinoplasty was performed immediately. Group 2 (n = 16) included children with alveolar ridge diastasis of the upper jaw of more than 10 mm. This group of newborns underwent pre-surgical orthodontic preparation for 10-12 days, which consisted of installing ortho-implants and applying an elastic traction chain. The criterion for readiness for surgery was the achievement of a diastasis width between the fragments of the alveolar process of 10 mm or less. This was followed by simultaneous removal of ortho-implants and surgery – cheilorinoplasty. Newborns with a cleft of the hard and soft palate (n = 4) underwent uranoplasty according to the method of A. A. Mamedov. All patients received good aesthetic and functional results.

Foreign body in the maxillary sinus. Surgical closure using the palatal pocket technique

Objective: to present a case report of a patient with a bucosinusal communication and its surgical resolution through the palatal pocket technique. Method: The patient came to the office reporting pain and passage of substances from the oral cavity to the nose. During inspection, a prosthetic reconstruction was observed, and in the multislice CT scan, the right maxillary sinus showed a lane to the alveolus of the second upper premolar. An irregular and diffuse foreign body was seen inside the maxillary sinus. Pre-surgical preparation: washes were performed through the fistula. Under general anesthesia, surgery was performed for the removal of the foreign body and plastic closure of the communication, using the palatal pocket technique. Resultsand conclusion: This technique ensured a tight closure of the communication and prevented reopening of the lesion. This was confirmed during postoperative controls

Efficacy of a virtual reality–based basic and clinical fused curriculum for clinical education on the lumbar intervertebral disc

OBJECTIVE Today, minimally invasive procedures have become mainstream surgical procedures. Percutaneous endoscopic transforaminal discectomy for lumbar disc herniation (LDH) requires profound knowledge of the laparoscopic lumbar anatomy. Immersive virtual reality (VR) provides three-dimensional patient-specific models to help in the process of preclinical surgical preparation. In this study, the authors investigated the efficacy of VR application in LDH for training orthopedic residents and postgraduates. METHODS VR images of the lumbar anatomy were created with immersive VR and mAnatomy software. The study was conducted among 60 residents and postgraduates. A questionnaire was developed to assess the effect of and satisfaction with this VR-based basic and clinical fused curriculum. The teaching effect was also evaluated through a postlecture test, and the results of the prelecture surgical examination were taken as baselines. RESULTS All participants in the VR group agreed that VR-based education is practical, attractive, and easy to operate, compared to traditional teaching, and promotes better understanding of the anatomical structures involved in LDH. Learners in the VR group achieved higher scores on an anatomical and clinical fusion test than learners in the traditional group (84.67 ± 14.56 vs 76.00 ± 16.10, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS An immersive VR-based basic and clinical fused curriculum can increase residents’ and postgraduates’ interest and support them in mastering the structural changes and complicated symptoms of LDH. However, a simplified operational process and more realistic haptics of the VR system are necessary for further surgical preparation and application.

Surgical Skills and Technological Advancements to Avoid Complications in Lateral Neck Dissection for Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

Neck dissection is a surgical procedure reserved for thyroid cancer cases with clinically evident lymphatic invasion. Although neck dissection is a reliable and safe procedure, it can determine a significant morbidity involving a variety of structures of nervous, vascular and endocrine typology. A careful pre-operative study is therefore essential to better plan surgery. Surgical experience, combined with accurate surgical preparation and merged with adequate and specific techniques, can certainly help reduce the percentage of complications. In recent years, however, technology has also proved to be useful. Its crucial role was already recognized in the safeguard of the integrity of the laryngeal nerve through neuro-monitoring, but new technologies are emerging to help the preservation also of the parathyroid glands and other structures, such as the thoracic duct. These surgical skills combined with the latest technological advancements, that allow us to reduce the incidence of complications after neck dissection for thyroid cancer, will be reported in the present article. This topic is of significant interest for the endocrine and metabolic surgeons’ community.

Pheochromocytoma: Multidisciplinary Approach Perioperative Considerations

Patient scheduled for an adrenalectomy with laparoscopic technique, due to a tumor of the left adrenal gland. The diagnosis of chronic arterial hypertension was difficult to control, so a test was requested to rule out pheochromocytoma, resulting in a tumor of the left adrenal gland. The teamwork of the specialties involved in the care of the patient, effective communication, pre-surgical preparation and perioperative management, resulted in minimal perioperative complications in the patient, remaining in the intensive care unit for one day and reducing the hospital stay.

Mitral valve regurgitation and endocarditis triggered by a needle

Background Cardiac foreign bodies are extremely rare in clinical patients, especially when foreign bodies damage the internal structure of the heart coincidentally after they penetrate the heart. Case presentation Here, we report the case of a two-year-old girl whose heart was penetrated by a needle, which triggered mitral valve regurgitation and endocarditis. After a comprehensive inspection, accurate judgment and surgical preparation, we removed the needle and repaired her mitral valve. Fortunately, she recovered postoperatively. Conclusion From this case, we can know that when cardiac foreign bodies are suspected, ultrasound is an important inspection method. Moreover, the approaches for handling each such case are different depending on the associated injuries.