2017 ACVIM Forum Research Abstract Program

In conclusion, PUL-042 alone did not effectively kill either a macrolide-resistant or a macrolide-susceptible strain of R. equi in equine MDMs. Additionally, there was not a detectable synergistic effect of PUL-042 in combination with clarithromycin. A similar experiment using adult alveolar macrophages is in progress to determine if more specialized macrophages are affected by PUL-042 and results will be reported. It is possible that PUL-042 might exert indirect effects on macrophages through stimulation of respiratory epithelial cells. Current surgical techniques for cervical stabilization are technically challenging and can result in significant complications. Also, they rely solely on compression and do not provide stabilization in tension, which can result in micromotion, potential catastrophic failure, and implant migration. Here we evaluated a novel technique for cervical vertebral interbody fusion in 6 horses with cervical vertebral compressive myelopathy (CVCM). Six horses diagnosed with CVCM with pre-operative ataxia grades ranging from 2-4/5 on the modified Mayhew scale underwent this novel approach. Two horses were compressed at 1 site and 4 were compressed at 2 sites (Table) . The surgical procedure consisted of creation of an intervertebral disc-space defect and placement of an intervertebral fusion device (IFD), 4 titanium polyaxial pedicle screws and 2 connecting rods secured with set-screws ( Figure) . All horses were re-evaluated at 7 days, 6 months, and 1-year postoperative. The procedures were approved by the Colorado State University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Surgery was performed safely and post-operative radiographs showed good placement of all IFDs, screws and rods in all horses. No implant failure or IFD displacement occurred up to 1-year post-operative. All horses improved within 3 months and by 1-year post-operative ataxia had reduced by 1-2 grades. The use of this novel fusion system requires less disc space removal, provides stabilization in compression and tension, and was technically straight-forward to perform. Surgery was performed successfully with improvement of clinical signs in all horses. This technique is a promising alternative to current surgical procedures for treatment of CVCM. Neuronavigation-guided intracranial surgery is increasingly common in veterinary medicine, although its use has not yet been described in equine species. The objective of this study was to determine the accuracy of neuronavigation-guided intracranial procedures in the horse using a standard fiducial array compared to anatomic landmarks for patient registration. Six equine cadaver heads were used for the study. CT images of each specimen were acquired, with the fiducial array rigidly secured to the frontal bone. Six targets were selected in each specimen. Patient registration was performed separately for 3 targets using the fiducial array, and 3 targets using anatomic landmarks. In lieu of biopsy, 22-gauge wire seeds were placed at each targeted site. Postoperative images were coregistered with the planning scan to calculate offset from the tip of the seed to the target. No statistical difference in accuracy between registration techniques was identified. The impact of surgeon experience was examined separately for each technique using a two-sample t-test and the experienced surgeon was significantly more accurate (1.35 mm, SD 0.69) than novice surgeons (4.04 mm, SD 1.78) using the fiducial array (P < 0