This study was carried out on twelve Holstein dairy cows. Five cows were clinically healthy and considered as control; three cows with left displacement of abomasum (LDA) and four cows with right displacement of abomasum (LDA). Diagnosis of DA based on clinical examinations and confirmed by ultrasonography. The Hb, PCV%, total leucocytic count, neutrophils and abomasal fluid pH were significantly increased (P<0.05) in RDA compared to control. Serum biochemical analysis showed significant reductions of sodium, potassium, chloride and calcium in LDA and RDA and significant increases (P < 0.05) in glucose and total proteins in RDA compared to the control. Moreover, there were significant increases (P<0.001) in ALT, AST, LDH, CPK, urea and creatinine in LDA and RDA compared to control. In conclusion, abomasal displacement produces alterations in the clinical, hematological and biochemical picture compared to control healthy cow and these alterations may vary according to the type of displacement

Data at admission and at surgery were collected on 458 cows with right displacement of the abomasum or abomasal volvulus, to derive multiple logistic regression models for predicting postsurgical outcome (productive, salvaged, or terminal). The derived models contained few and easily obtained variables. The weight associated with each variable was determined objectively. Three admission variables (heart rate, base excess, and plasma chloride concentration), and 5 surgical variables (heart rate, base excess, diagnosis, method of decompression used, and appearance of abomasal serosa) were used in the final models. Predicted outcomes that used the admission and surgical models were closely related with actual outcomes. Total correct classification for satisfactory (productive) versus unsatisfactory outcome (salvaged and terminal) was 78.2% for the admission model and 82.7% for the surgical model. Combining data on cows with productive and salvaged outcomes as satisfactory outcome, and terminal as unsatisfactory outcome, total correct classification was 90.7% for the admission model and 93.2% for the surgical model. Using predicted probabilities, the market value of productive and salvaged cows, and the medical and surgical costs, one can calculate the expected economic value of each outcome. Treatment can be justified if the sum of the expected value of productive and salvaged outcome exceeds the sum of the medical and surgical costs and the expected salvaged value of the cow that was not treated surgically.

By use of wire ropes as the transosseous component, an external skeletal fixator for the repair of long bone fractures in horses and cattle has been designed and tested in axial compression. Theoretical methods were used in the design process to size fixator components; however, our results suggest that conventional methods of analyzing the displacement of the transosseous component may not apply to wire ropes. Large pretensions in the wire ropes are necessary to obtain functional stiffnesses for fracture fixation. Therefore, a method was sought for terminating the ropes so that an appropriate pretension could be introduced into the rope through its interface with the fixator rings. Ropes were terminated by use of 5 methods and were tested in axial tension to failure. These methods included 3 copper sleeve arrangements, welded ends, and drum sockets. The drum sockets (57.6% of rope breaking strength) far exceeded the strengths provided by the copper sleeves (8.5 to 26.6%) and the welded ends (44.3%). Using the drum sockets, 5 rope configurations were assembled to the fixator, using wood blocks to simulate bones with a gap defect. The fixator was loaded in axial compression for each of the rope configurations, and stiffnesses were determined from measured axial displacement and applied load. The 4-ring fixator configuration, with 2 ropes at 60 degrees angular separation/ring, was the stiffest. In a worst case (gap) model, a mean axial compression load of 1,730 N was observed at 2 mm of displacement for a 4-ring fixator configuration. Our results suggest that, in less conservative scenarios where compression of the fracture surfaces can share limb loads, wire ropes may function well as the transosseous components of an external fixator.

To determine whether abnormal airway pressures have a role in development of dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP), measurements of tracheal and pharyngeal pressures were correlated with nasopharyngeal morphology in exercising horses. Exercising videoendoscopy and measurement of tracheal and pharyngeal pressures were used in 14 clinically normal horses and 19 horses with intermittent DDSP. The pressure signals were superimposed on the videoendoscope image, and both images were saved simultaneously on a videocassette for slow motion analysis to determine the instant displacement occurred in the respiratory cycle. Horses were submitted to an escalating 8-minute high-speed test with a maximal speed of 14 m/s. Compared with clinically normal horses, horses with intermittent DDSP did not have excessively negative inspiratory pressures during exercise. Eight horses displaced the soft palate during inspiration, 4 horses displaced it during expiration, and 7 displaced it by swallowing. Some horses displaced the soft palate at the beginning of the exercise trial, before reaching maximal speed, some horses displaced it at the peak speed, and some horses displaced it when slowing down. Epiglottic size in horses with DDSP was within normal limits, ruling out epiglottic hypoplasia as a cause of DDSP during exercise. Airway pressures were significantly (P < 0.002) altered after DDSP. Pharyngeal and tracheal inspiratory pressures were less negative, whereas pharyngeal expiratory pressure became less positive and tracheal expiratory pressure became more positive after displacement, suggesting a decrease in airflow and an increase in expiratory resistance in the upper airway.

A hospital-based case-control study was conducted to evaluate and compare risk factors for abomasal volvulus (AV) and left displaced abomasum (LDA) in cattle. Medical record abstracts were derived from 17 North American veterinary schools by the Veterinary Medical Data Program for all cattle admitted between Jan 1, 1977 and Dec 31, 1986, and for those with a diagnosis of AV or LDA. From a total of 108,956 individual cattle records, 1,036 cases of AV and 7,695 cases of LDA were identified, with a ratio of LDA to AV cases of 7.4 to 1. In-hospital mortality was 23.5% for AV and 5.6% for LDA. Age, breed, gender, and season each had significant (P < 0.05) effects on risk for AV and LDA. Risk for AV and LDA increased with increasing age, with greater risk in cattle aged 4 to 7 years. Dairy cattle were at higher risk of developing AV (adjusted odds ratio, 36.4) and LDA (adjusted odds ratio, 95.2) than were beef cattle. The odds of AV in Brown Swiss cattle were significantly (P < 0.0001) lower, and the odds of LDA in Guernsey cattle were significantly (P < 0.0001) higher than those in Holstein cattle. Female cattle were also at higher risk of developing AV (adjusted odds ratio, 3.3) and LDA (adjusted odds ratio, 29.1) than were male cattle. The odds of AV and LDA varied considerably throughout the year, with the lowest number of cases observed in autumn. Seasonal development of AV differed significantly (P < 0.0001) from that Of LDA, with the odds of AV and LDA being highest in January and March, respectively. The medical records for all cattle with AV and LDA examined at the teaching hospital over a 10- and 5-year period, respectively, were reviewed, and the time interval since parturition, as well as the existence and nature of concurrent disease, were recorded. Proportionately fewer cases of AV than LDA developed during the first 2 weeks after parturition (28.3% of AV cases vs. 57.0% of LDA cases). Concurrent disease existed in 30.4% of AV cases and 53.6% of LDA cases, with the rates of concurrent disease differing significantly (P < 0.0001) between the 2 groups. The misclassification rate for data generated at the teaching hospital was estimated to be 6.5% for AV and 5.3% for LDA. On the basis of the findings of this study, we hypothesize that: abomasal atony is a prerequisite for AV and LDA; existence of an abdominal void immediately after parturition facilitates development of AV and LDA; normal rumen volume provides a moderately effective barrier against LDA; risk of LDA does not increase appreciably with advancing pregnancy; and the direction of abomasal displacement (AV or LDA) after abomasal atony and dilation is influenced principally by rumen volume.