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Study shows value of transverse sectioning for canine alopecia
Researchers took skin biopsies from 31 dogs with alopecia.

Method “can provide further diagnostic information with no additional risk for the patient”.

A new study by researchers at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) and the University of Glasgow has highlighted the value of the transverse section technique for assessing dogs with alopecia.

The study, published in the Journal of Small Animal Practice, assessed whether the technique could enhance the diagnostic benefit from skin biopsies of dogs with alopecia.

Researchers took skin biopsies from 31 dogs with alopecia suspected of having a range of atrophic, dysplastic and inflammatory diseases of the hair follicles and or adnexal glands.

The team bisected the samples vertically - with one half embedded in the traditional vertical orientation and the other sectioned transversely -  before reviewing the sections independently of each other.

“As expected, the team observed substantial overlap in the principal pathological features in the 90 paired vertical and transverse sections,” explained Professor Ross Bond of the RVC. “There were also numerous examples where one or other of the two sectioning planes yielded superior visualisation of key features.”

Researchers added that transverse sectioning frequently complements traditional vertical sectioning when evaluating follicle diseases in dogs.

'Transverse sectioning a portion of the biopsy may be especially valuable in evaluating the phase of hair growth in the specimen and when key histopathological features, such as inflammatory processes, affect relatively small numbers of adnexa within the specimen,” the team explains. “It is also of value in evaluating the number, size and arrangement of follicles within compound follicles and follicular units."

JSAP editor, Nicola Di Girolamo, concluded: “This relatively simple modification of sample processing can provide further diagnostic information with no additional risk for the patient, and as such has a relevant application in a large number of dogs.”

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

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News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.