Cases diagnosed with portosystemic shunting between the years 1993 and 2001 were reviewed. Sensitivities of screening tests and abdominal ultrasonographic evaluation for the detection of portosystemic shunting were evaluated. Prognosis for surgically treated shunts was also evaluated. Results indicated that both paired serum bile acids and blood ammonia levels were useful screening tests for portosystemic shunting. However, paired bile acid tests were significantly more sensitive than blood ammonia levels. Overall postoperative mortality rates for extrahepatic shunts and intrahepatic shunts were 8.7% and 20%, respectively. Postoperative mortality rates were slightly higher for animals treated with partial ligation when compared to those treated with ameroid ring placement, although this did not reach statistical significance. Long-term complication rates for animals with single extrahepatic portosystemic shunts treated with complete ligation, ameroid ring placement, and partial ligation alone were 9%, 15.4%, and 42%, respectively. Animals >2 years of age with extrahepatic shunts had almost identical postoperative mortality and long-term complication rates as animals < or = 2 years of age. No animal in this study had paired bile acid samples within the reference range postoperatively, indicating continued abnormal liver function after surgery.

TPLO induces lameness that returns to near normal at 18 weeks. The severity and duration of lameness was similar to that reported for other experimental models of stifle instability repaired by different techniques.

Two patients, 1 adult and 1 infant, with complete duplication of the penis are described. The adult had a single bladder, a bifid scrotum, a low abdominal wall hernia, separation of the symphysis pubis, bilateral inguinal hernias, rectal prolapse, bilateral vesicoureteral reflux and bilateral staghorn calculi. The infant had duplication of the bladder, hypoplasia of the left kidney, lumbosacral anomalies, a hypoplastic left lower extremity, an imperforate anus, a infraumbilical wall hernia and separation of the symphysis pubis. A survey of the anomalies accompanying the 2 main types of diphallus (shaft and glans, and glans alone)showed that there was a preponderance of anomalies of posterior structures such as colon, bladder and spine in the shaft and glans diphallus, and a higher incidence of isolated exstrophy of the bladder in diphallus of the glans alone. The embryogenic implications of these findings are discussed.