In an effort to make laparoscopic suturing more efficient, the V-Loc advanced wound closure device (Covidien, Mansfield, MA) has been produced. This device is a self-anchoring barbed suture that obviates the need for knot tying. The goal of this initial feasibility study was to investigate the use of the barbed suture in gastrointestinal enterotomy closure. A randomized study of 12 pigs comparing enterotomy closure with barbed versus a nonbarbed suture of similar tensile strength was performed. To this end, 25 mm enterotomies were made in the stomach (1 control, 1 treatment), jejunum (2 controls, 2 treatments), and descending colon (1 control, 1 treatment). Animals were killed at 3, 7, and 14 days postoperatively (4 each group) and their gastrointestinal tracts harvested; 6 of the 8 enterotomies from each pig underwent burst strength testing. The remaining 2 were fixed in formalin and sent for histological examination. All 12 pigs survived until they were killed without any major complications. Enterotomy closure with barbed suture revealed adhesion scores, burst strength pressures, and histology scores that were similar to those for the control. Jejunal closures resulted in 6 failures at 7 days (3 control, 3 barbed) and 4 failures at 14 days (2 control, 2 barbed). The barbed suture significantly reduced suturing time in the stomach, jejunum, and colon. The V-Loc wound closure device appears to offer comparable gastrointestinal closure to 3-0 Maxon while being significantly faster. Further studies with V-Loc are required to assess its use in laparoscopic surgery.

A question frequently asked by clinicians who are treating small animals suspected of having gastrointestinal foreign bodies is whether one imaging test such as survey radiography or ultrasonography is sufficient to make the diagnosis. A study was undertaken to try and answer this question. Survey abdominal radiography and ultrasonography was performed on 16 small animals (11 dogs, five cats) with clinical signs of an obstruction because of a confirmed gastrointestinal foreign body. The majority of the foreign bodies (14/16) were confirmed by surgical removal and were located in the small intestine. A gastric foreign body was retrieved endoscopically and a colonic foreign body was passed in the feces. Radiographically identifiable foreign bodies were evident in nine animals. Small intestinal overdistension was present radiographically in seven animals. Ultrasonography detected a foreign body in all 16 animals. The foreign bodies were identified by their distal acoustic shadowing and variable degrees of surface reflection. An intestinal perforation was detected sonographically but not radiographically. The value of additional sonographic findings including thickening of the gastrointestinal wall and loss of layering, free peritoneal fluid, and lymphadenopathy in these animals is discussed. The findings in this series suggest that in a small animal with a gastrointestinal foreign body, ultrasonography alone could be used to make the diagnosis and may be a more appropriate choice than survey radiography.

Hernias through the foramen of Winslow comprise 8 % of all internal hernias and the majority contain incarcerated bowel. Clinical signs are often non-specific and delay in diagnosis associated with a mortality rate that approaches 50 %. Management is urgent surgical reduction with bowel decompression and resection of devitalized bowel. A foramen of Winslow hernia (FWH) has traditionally been managed via an exploratory laparotomy incision and the vast majority of cases describe an open approach. We describe a minimally invasive approach to the management of an incarcerated FWH requiring decompression and bowel resection.

H-1 MR spectroscopy is a sensitive and potentially specific noninvasive adjunctive method for differential diagnosis of focal brain lesions in AIDS.

The prevalence of feline polycstic disease in Persian cats presented to the University of Melbourne between February and August 1999 was 45%. Exotic cats were found to have the slightly higher incidence of 50%.

Primary laparoscopic repair along with mesh placement for the management of ventral hernia was found to be effective in selected cases as evidenced by the low rate of recurrence when compared with conventional laparoscopic repair with mesh alone. Further retrospective and prospective studies, with larger patient enrollment, are warranted to confirm the benefit of this technique over traditional repair.

Four cases of megaoesophagus secondary to tiger snake envenomation are reported. History in all cases suggested megaoesophagus was not present prior to snake envenomation. Diagnosis of megaoesophagus was confirmed by thoracic radiography in all cases. One dog died of respiratory failure. The remaining three dogs recovered, with gradual resolution of clinical signs associated with megaoesophagus.

Traditionally, surgical management of esophageal perforations has been recommended. This can be a costly and invasive procedure and requires a high degree of surgical skill. In this report, conservative management of substantial esophageal perforation in 5 dogs is described; medical management may be a viable treatment option in dogs with perforation of the esophagus due to EFB.