• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.309-313
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• 2005

This study was performed to assess the efficacy of surgical treatment with flexible alligator forceps (FAF) on heartworm infected dogs. Twenty dogs (10 males and 10 females) with heartworm infection, age $5.3\pm3.0\;(mean{\pm}S.D.)$ years and weight $9.3\pm6.5(mean{\pm}S.D.)kg$ were treated with FAF. Adult heartworms were removed by fluoroguided technique with FAF under inhalation anesthesia with isoflurane. For evaluation of the efficacy, removal rate and surgical time were measured, and removal sites were found. Antigen ELISA kit test and autopsy were performed to examine remained adult heartworms. Removal rate of total heartworms was $91.4\%$ including 15 complete retrieval cases and surgical time was $30.0\pm7.6(mean{\pm}S.E.)$ minutes. Heartworms were removed from the right ventricle, main pulmonary artery, and right and left pulmonary artery. Surgical treatment with FAF is an effective method with high removal rate, short surgical time, and various removal sites and it could be considered for the removal of adult heartworms in a dog.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.729-734
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• 2010

An 11-year old, intact female Poodle (weighing 2.3 kg) was referred with signs of consistent coughing, dyspnea, poor exercise tolerance, and anorexia. Diagnostic imaging and laboratory studies revealed idiopathic hemorrhagic pericardial effusion complicated with ISACHC Ib stage of chronic mitral valvular degeneration. Percutaneous transcatheter pericardiotomy (PTP) was performed at the right precordium using alligator forceps with fluoroscopic guidance. Immediately after PTP, electrocardiogram and echocardiogram showed dramatic improvement of cardiac performance. Patient was released with the prescription of furosemide (1 mg/kg, bid, PO), enalapril (0.5 mg/kg, bid, PO), cephradine (20 mg/kg, bid, PO) for mild mitral regurgitation and post-management of infection. Diagnostic studies performed at 2 weeks after PTP revealed no further accumulation of pericardial effusion and improvement of clinical signs. The dog is currently medicated with enalapril and monitored regularly.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.141-147
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• 2015

Based on the results of previous studies, endoscopic biopsy sample's quality has a major impact on its adequacy for histopathology, and that the nature of the biopsy forceps can influence the specimen quality. The present study compared the effects of three different types of endoscopic biopsy forceps and two different operators on sample quality and adequacy for histopathology in three healthy cats. Every biopsy was performed between the major papilla and caudal duodenal flexure, and each operator performed five biopsies with each type of forceps on each cat, for a total of 90 biopsies. One pathologist evaluated the quality and adequacy of the obtained samples. Biopsies performed with large-cup forceps provided heavier and longer samples than the standard round forceps. With the same size forceps, the presence of alligator teeth had no effect on sample quality or adequacy for histopathological examination and assessment. Based on the results of the present study, although the standard round forceps could be used to obtain adequate samples for histopathology, large-cup forceps such as the standard oval and alligator jaw type have the advantage of obtaining high quality endoscopic samples.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.64 no.5
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• pp.356-361
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• 2008

Background: We wanted to examine the clinical characteristics of adult patients with tracheobronchial foreign bodies (FBs) according to the risk of aspiration and the outcomes of intervention with using a fiberoptic bronchoscope. Methods: From December 1994 through December 2004 at Kyung Hee Medical Center, we retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 29 adult patients with FBs that were identified by using a fiberoptic bronchoscope. Results: 14 patients were not at risk of aspiration, whereas 15 had cerebrovascular diseases and they were at a high risk of aspiration. No history suggestive of FB aspiration was noted in 7 (24.1%) patients. Respiratory symptom(s) were noted in 22 patients, and these symptoms were cough (62.0%), dyspnea (44.8%), fever (20.7%), wheezing (13.8%), chest pain (10.3%) and hemoptysis (0.4%). Only 60% of those patients at a high risk of aspiration had symptom(s) (92.8% of those patients without a risk of aspiration had symptoms, p=0.005). Those patients at risk for aspiration had a longer duration of symptoms (median: 4 days vs. 2 days for those patients not at risk for aspiration, p=0.007) before diagnosis. Acute respiratory symptom(s) within 3 days after aspiration were more frequent in the patients without a risk of aspiration (9 vs. 4, respectively p=0.048). Chest x-ray revealed radiological abnormalities in 23 patients, and these were opacities suspicious of FB (n=11), pneumonia (n=8), air trapping (n=5) and atelectasis (n=3). There were no differences in radiological findings according to the risk of aspiration. FB aspiration developed most commonly during medical procedures (57.1% for the patients at risk) and during eating (35.7% for the patients without risk). The most common FB materials were teeth (n = 11). Alligator jaw biopsy forceps (n = 23) was the most commonly used equipment. All of the FBs were removed without significant complications. Conclusion: This study underlines that a tracheobronchial FB in the patients who are at a high risk of aspiration are more likely to overlooked because of the more gradual onset of symptoms and the symptoms develop iatrogenically in many cases.