Page 3 - Clinical Connections- Summer 2021
P. 3

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

                                             Adapting to a Shifting World

               It has been heartening to see how                            Ophthalmology Service and Diagnostic
          the veterinary world and our clients                              Imaging. Members of the Exotics
          adapted over the last 18 months. We                               Referral Service hold a clinic at the
          are all, here at the RVC and in the                               Queen Mother Hospital for Animals on
          wider veterinary community, working in                            a regular basis and on this occasion
          so many new ways to cope with such                                were able to help a rhea called George
          rapidly changing circumstances. Some                              with left-sided periocular swelling.
          of these adaptations will be temporary                            Ophthalmic examination revealed
          and some will prove to have sufficient                            marked conjunctival hyperaemia.
          utility to be more long-standing                                  There was a soft mass in the medial
          adjustments to the way we deliver to                              aspect of the orbit, compressing the
          our stakeholders; effectively positive                            globe. A CT was performed with IV
          evolutions of our working practices,                              contrast and revealed multiple pockets
          catalysed by the pandemic.                                        of fluid in the left periorbital sinus, with
            As a science-led profession, we                                 concretions of solid material with areas
          certainly would hope to have responded                            of mineralisation compressing the left
          to the circumstances using a robust                               globe. I hope you read the article by
          evidence-based approach to inform our decisions,    Vicki Baldrey and Jo Hedley to find out more about this
          always prioritising the health and wellbeing of our   case.
          students, staff and our patients. In the best traditions   Page 5 has an equine article by Andy Fiske-Jackson
          of clinical audit, it will be essential for us to review our   about gait analysis for poor performance and how our
          responses and adjustments over the last 18 months   team can pinpoint subtle problems that can have such
          and continue to do so on a regular basis, reflecting upon  a massive impact on a horse’s performance as an elite
          how far the world shifted to contend with the disease   athlete.
          – and ultimately which of these shifts and adjustments   The centre pages feature an article about diagnostic
          worked and which did not.                           imaging of portosystemic shunts by Mark Plested and
            However, other diseases and circumstances that    Randi Drees. The piece includes a valuable discussion
          plague animals – and other challenging situations vets   of the morphology of intrahepatic portosystemic shunts
          routinely face – haven’t gone away. This issue includes   and excellent schematic drawings and corresponding
          animal abuse resulting in multiple traumas, the recent   CT angiography images, showing examples of different
          “outbreak” of feline pancytopenia and its likely cause,   intrahepatic shunts.
          a review of feline lymphoma and a challenging exotics   Page 8 has an article on feline lymphoma by members
          ophthalmology case, to name but a few areas covered.     of our Oncology Service, Irina Gramer and Alexandra
            The first two pages are devoted to a case that took the  Guillen Martinez. They discuss the diagnosis of different
          combined efforts and talents of three of our specialist   types of lymphoma in cats and why the prevalence
          teams, the Neurology and Neurosurgery Service,      of particular types has changed over time. The article
          Orthopaedics and Diagnostic Imaging. A pair of dogs   also includes an interesting case study about a cat
          were thrown from the back of a moving van in London,   diagnosed with a high-grade mediastinal lymphoma and
          one of which was found to have sustained multiple   who had intestinal surgery and chemotherapy.
          injuries over time. The dog, Gladys, was partially   We all have become accustomed to ‘One Health’
          paralysed and unable to walk. CT revealed two vertebral  articles in the veterinary press, but Alejandro Suarez
          fractures with an abscess in the muscles surrounding   Bonnet of our Pathology and Diagnostic Laboratories
          one of these. The presence of the abscess meant there   team has written a fascinating article about One
          was a risk that placement of surgical implants would   Pathology, which appears on Page 9. He talks about
          be followed by infection and implant failure and so the   the comparative pathology of domestic, wildlife and
          fracture was stabilised with an external skeletal fixator.   laboratory animals and outlines a broad range of
            Page 4 includes details of another collaboration –   RVC research that underline similarities between the
          this time between the Exotics Referral Service, the   pathology of different species.



                                                    NEVER MISS AN ISSUE


                                                      Published three times a year • Back issues available to
                                                      read online or download • Subscribe now!

                                                              www.rvc.ac.uk/clinical-connections



                                                                                                    Summer 2021   3
   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8