In veterinary, there is scarce availability of morphogeometric studies in normal and remodeled hearts; furthermore, ventricular geometry acts as an indicator of cardiac function. It is a highly necessary field of knowledge for the development of therapeutic protocols, especially surgical ones. The objectives of this study were: to obtain measurements of the left atrioventricular valve ring and left ventricle, to analyze the proportionality between the segments of the left cardiac chamber of normal hearts and to describe reference values for morphogeometric analysis of the left ventricle. For this, 50 hearts from small (Group 1—G1) and medium to large (Group 2—G2) dogs were laminated in the apical, basal and equatorial segments, and submitted to computer analysis to identify the perimeter of each segment and the left atrioventricular ring, wall thickness and distance from the atrioventricular sulcus to the apex. The largest internal perimeter was that of the equatorial. The basal segment had the highest mean for ventral parietal wall thickness, suggesting greater contractile reserve at that location. Considering the proportionality relationships, there was no statistical difference between the intersegmental perimeter indices for the two groups. This suggests that despite the animals’ weight variations, the proportions between the left ventricular segments are maintained. Therefore, it is concluded that the data can be used as a standard of comparison for cardiac geometric assessments, as well as a basis for the development of therapeutic measures in the context of adverse cardiac remodeling.

This study aimed to evaluate the near-cortical over-drilling technique on the mechanical behaviour of bone-plate constructs in a rabbit transverse femoral fracture. In vitro biomechanical testing and finite element (FE) models were used for analyses. Rabbits' bones (n = 14) were divided into two groups: G1 - without near-cortical over-drilling, and G2 - with near-cortical over-drilling. Locking stainless-steel plates composed of five holes with titanium bushings were used. A compression test was carried out with load applied eccentrically to the femoral head at a rate of 5 mm/min with load cell capacity of 500 kgf. FE model was created to evaluate differences in stress distributions between G1 and G2. In the vitro tests, the maximum load supported by G2 was statistically higher than G1 (p-value = 0.01 < 0.05), whilst there was no significant difference between the groups in bending stiffness (p-value = 0.12 > 0.05). FE models demonstrated similar behaviour to experimental data in terms of stiffness and biomechanical behaviour for either G1 or G2 (p-value = 0.09 > 0.05). Stress levels were higher for G1, and stress concentration areas were at the experimentally fractured sites. No evident pattern of fracture or stress distribution was observed in the bone for G2. In conclusion, over-drilling increased the maximum load-bearing capacity with a slight decrease in overall stiffness, which could potentially improve bone healing.

Diaphragmatic hernia is a relatively common disorder in routine surgical procedures for small animals. This hernia is characterized by discontinuity of the diaphragm due to a rupture or defect, which may result in the displacement of abdominal organs into the thoracic cavity. Therefore, this review aims to provide information about the anatomy of the diaphragm and associated structures, as well as the causes, clinical signs, diagnosis, and treatment options for acquired diaphragmatic hernia. The diaphragm is an inspiratory muscle composed of a muscle portion that surrounds a central tendon. Traumatic diaphragmatic hernia is commonly associated with motor vehicle accidents. The diagnosis is based on clinical history and physical examination, but the final definition requires imaging studies, in which plain radiographic examination is the most frequently used. However, an ultrasound examination is necessary in some cases. Treatment involves surgical correction of the rupture, usually performed through a median celiotomy.