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Objective—To determine whether histopathologic changes are detectable in grossly normal medial menisci from dogs with rupture of the cranial cruciate ligament (CCL).Design—Case series.Sample Population—40 medial menisci from dogs with rupture of the CCL and 20 medial menisci from control dogs without stifle joint disease.Procedure—Data evaluated included age, duration of clinical signs, and whether rupture of the CCL was complete or incomplete. Three groups (n = 20/group) were also compared on the basis of 5 histologic criteria; group-1 menisci appeared grossly normal and were obtained from dogs with naturally occurring rupture of the CCL, group-2 menisci were grossly abnormal and were also obtained from dogs with naturally occurring CCL ruptures, and group-3 menisci were collected at postmortem from dogs without stifle joint disease that were of similar age and weight as dogs in groups 1 and 2.Results—Group-2 menisci were significantly different from group-1 and -3 menisci in all histologic criteria. Group-1 menisci were significantly different from control menisci in only 1 of the 5 histologic criteria (cartilage differentiation). Dogs that were ≥ 3 years old had significantly more surface cellularity than did dogs that were < 3 years old. A significant difference was not detected between groups 1 and 2 with regard to completeness of rupture.Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Histologic changes in meniscal cartilage correlate with gross appearance of the cartilage at time of surgery for rupture of the CCL. On the basis of minimal histologic changes, routine removal of grossly normal menisci does not appear to be warranted. (J Am Vet Med Assoc2001;218:1281–1284)

Objective—To determine quality and duration of progression-free survival (PFS) time in dogs with unresectable thyroid carcinomas treated with definitive megavoltage irradiation and analyze prognostic factors of PFS and patterns of failure (local recurrence vs metastasis). Design—Prospective clinical trial. Animals—25 dogs with locally advanced thyroid carcinomas and no evidence of metastasis. Procedure—Dogs were treated with 48 Gy during 4 weeks on an alternate-day schedule of 4 Gy/fraction. Results—Irradiation was safe and effective for treatment of large unresectable thyroid carcinomas. Progression-free survival rates were 80% at 1 year and 72% at 3 years. Time to maximum tumor size reduction ranged from 8 to 22 months. Factors affecting PFS were not found. Twenty-eight percent (7/25) of dogs developed metastasis. Dogs with bilateral tumors had 16 times the risk of developing metastases, compared with dogs with a single tumor. Dogs with no evidence of tumor progression had 15 times less risk of developing metastases. Radiation-induced hypothyroidism was suspected in 2 dogs 13 and 29 months after irradiation. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Irradiation is effective for local control of thyroid tumors, despite their slow regression rate. Results provided evidence that local tumor control affects metastatic outcome in dogs with thyroid carcinomas and is a strong basis for the development of new approaches that include irradiation in the management of dogs with advanced thyroid carcinomas. Improvements in local tumor control alone may be insufficient to improve survival times because of the high risk of metastatic spread before an initial diagnosis is made, which warrants initiation of early systemic treatment. (J Am Vet Med Assoc 2000;216: 1775–1779)

Objective—To determine clinicopathologic and radiographic features and etiologic agents in cats that died as a result of infectious pneumonia. Design—Retrospective study. Animals—39 cats. Procedure—Medical records of cats in which infectious pneumonia was confirmed by histologic examination of necropsy specimens were reviewed. Signalment, clinical signs, and results of a CBC, viral serologic tests, and thoracic radiography were evaluated. Infectious agents were classified as bacterial, viral, fungal, protozoal, or parasitic. Histologic features (severity, duration, anatomic location, and distribution) were analyzed. Results—Clinical signs referable to the respiratory tract were not detected in 14 of 39 (36%) cats, and results of a CBC (4/18 cats) and radiography (3/13) were unremarkable. Sixteen of 39 (41%) cats lacked clinical signs of systemic illness. Etiologic agents identified included bacteria (n = 21), viruses (11), fungi (6), protozoa (2), and parasites (1). Cats with clinical signs related to the respiratory tract (19/24 [79%] cats) were more likely to have severe histologic changes than cats without signs related to the respiratory system (6/14). Twenty-nine of 38 (76%) cats had histologic evidence of systemic disease, whereas the remaining cats had lesions limited to the respiratory tract. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Infectious pneumonia is uncommon in cats. Cats with infectious pneumonia may lack clinical signs and have unremarkable results for a CBC and thoracic radiography, yet frequently have systemic infections. Therefore, clinicians should maintain an index of suspicion for pneumonia and evaluate the respiratory tract when infection is detected in other organ systems. (J Am Vet Med Assoc 2003;223:1142–1150)

Objective—To characterize interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) and evaluate use of keyhole lung biopsy for diagnosis of ILDs in dogs and cats. Design—Retrospective study. Animals—11 dogs and 2 cats. Procedure—Medical records of dogs and cats undergoing keyhole lung biopsy to confirm ILDs were reviewed. Signalment, clinical signs, results of thoracic radiography and other respiratory diagnostic tests, postoperative complications, and patient outcome were analyzed. Results—Clinical respiratory signs included cough, tachypnea, exercise intolerance, and hemoptysis. Thoracic radiographic abnormalities included interstitial, alveolar, and bronchointerstitial patterns and multiple discrete pulmonary nodules. Lung biopsy and histologic examination revealed interstitial pulmonary fibrosis, bronchiolitis obliterans with organizing pneumonia, or unclassified lesions. Outcome after biopsy included no response to treatment, euthanasia, partial or complete remission while receiving medication, and cure. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Recognition and classification of ILDs in dogs and cats are likely to be important in guiding appropriate treatment and providing accurate prognostic information. Ancillary respiratory diagnostic tests are beneficial in ruling out infectious and neoplastic disorders that may mimic ILDs; however, their present use in the diagnosis of ILDs is limited. Results suggest that keyhole lung biopsy is an effective means for obtaining a specimen for histologic diagnosis in dogs and cats with ILDs. ( J Am Vet Med Assoc 2002;221:1453–1459)

Objective—To assess the influence of tumor cell proliferation and sex-hormone receptors on the efficacy of megavoltage irradiation for dogs with incompletely resected meningiomas. Design—Longitudinal clinical trial. Animals—20 dogs with incompletely resected intracranial meningiomas. Procedure—Dogs were treated with 48 Gy of radiation administered 3 times per week on an alternateday schedule of 4 Gy/fraction for 4 weeks, using bilateral parallel-opposed fields. Results—Tumor proliferative fraction measured by immunohistochemical detection of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PFPCNA index) ranged from 10 to 42% (median, 24%). Progesterone receptor immunoreactivity was detected in 70% of tumors. Estrogen receptor immunoreactivity was not detected. An inverse correlation was found between detection of progesterone receptors and the PFPCNA index. The overall 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate was 68%. The only prognostic factor that significantly affected PFS rate was the PFPCNA index. The 2-year PFS was 42% for tumors with a high PFPCNA index (value ≥ 24%) and 91% for tumors with a low PFPCNA index (value < 24%). Tumors with a high PFPCNA index were 9.1 times as likely to recur as were tumors with a low PFPCNA index. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—This study confirms the value of irradiation for dogs with incompletely resected meningiomas. Prognostic value of the PFPCNA index suggests that duration of treatment and interval from surgery to start of irradiation may affect outcome. Loss of progesterone receptors in some tumors may be responsible for an increase in PFPCNA index and may indirectly affect prognosis after radiation therapy. (J Am Vet Med Assoc 2000;216: 701–707)