Retinal thickness was measurable with high precision; values compare well to older histologic studies. OCT bears significant advantages over histology in enabling one to repeat measurements in living animals and thus allowing longitudinal studies. Various vitreoretinal pathologies common in feline eyes are detectable and quantifiable by OCT.
A 12-year-old Haflinger gelding was presented to the veterinary medical teaching hospital of the University of Zurich with a light-pink raised mass on the temporal limbus and conjunctiva of the left eye. Squamous cell carcinoma was confirmed histologically after keratectomy and cryotherapy. Seven months later, a smooth pink, progressively enlarging mass was observed within the cornea of the left eye. Ultrasonographically, the mass was not only infiltrating the corneal stroma but seemed to protrude into the anterior chamber. The globe was surgically removed and submitted for pathology. A histologic diagnosis of corneal ocular squamous cell carcinoma with deep stromal invasion, infiltration of the uveoscleral meshwork and iridocorneal angle and resulting intraocular extension was made. This is the first detailed description of a limbal squamous cell carcinoma with invasion into the cornea and uvea in the horse.
The most frequent clinical signs observed were hyphema, subconjunctival hemorrhage, and eyelid and conjunctival swelling. Ultrasonographic findings suggestive for scleral rupture were ill-defined scleral borders and/or echoic/hyperechoic material in the cavities of the globe. On histopathology, lesions severely altering the anatomy of the eye structures were: hemorrhage into the chambers of the globe, subretinal and suprachoroidal hemorrhage leading to retinal and choroidal detachment, respectively. In small animals, the most frequent locations for scleral rupture were the posterior pole and close to the optic nerve, whereas in horses it was the limbus.
Since communication skills contribute significantly to professional success among veterinarians, there is a particular focus on developing communication classes in veterinary curricula. At Freie Universität Berlin, an e-learning course covering the basics of communication and a practical communication course based on role plays with and without simulation persons have been established. The outcome of these communication courses on the assessment of the relevance of several veterinary competencies and on the self-assessment of communication skills using the SE-12 questionnaire was investigated. For this purpose, students were surveyed before and after the e-learning course as well as before and after the practical course. Veterinarians were also surveyed on the relevance of veterinary competencies. The relevance of communicative competencies for professional success was rated significantly higher by the students after completing the practical course than by the other students and the veterinarians. Self-assessment of communication skills showed little increase after the e-learning course, but a significant increase after the practical course. Thus, an effective outcome of the communication classes was observed mainly after the practical course. However, the effect of the e-learning course cannot be ruled out since the students participating in the practical course have also completed the e-learning course beforehand.
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