Xie et al JAVMA 2025-
Describe the surgical management used to treat aural hematoma in dogs and cats.
What % of aural hematoma resolved?
Complications?
- Aspirated the hematoma and apply polycaprolactone splint
*** The mean time for PCL splint application was 16 days for all animals - Clinical signs were resolved in 5 dogs and 3 cats (80% of aural hematomas)
- Complications occurred in 3 cases (30%)
** 2 dogs (20% of all animals) experienced recurrence at 7 and 10 days, which was suspected to be associated with the premature removal of the PCL splints; new PCL splints were applied to these dogs and no recurrence of AH was observed upon their removal at 21 and 23 days
** 1 dog exhibited localized wrinkling of the auricle
Banks et al Vet Surg 2023-
TECA-LO in extreme brachycephalic conformation:
Common presentation for extreme brachycephalic breed?
Common presentation for other dogs?
What was noted on advanced imaging in extreme brachycephalic breeds?
Intraoperative complications?
Perioperative complications?
- Extreme brachycephalic breeds (Frenchies, English Bulldogs, Pugs) most commonly presented acutely, at a younger age with oto-neurological signs (57%)
*** Presented more frequently with facial nerve paresis, vestibular syndrome and horner’s syndrome compared to other breeds - Chronic otitis externa without neurological signs (76%) was most common in the other breeds
- On diagnostic imaging, bilateral changes, aural masses, para-aural abscesses, otitis intern and brainstem changes were more common in the extreme brachycephalic breeds
- The apparent difference in intraoperative complication rate between EBBs (11%) and OBs (5%) did not reach statistical significance
- Perioperative complications occurred in 28% of TECA-LBOs with no difference in perioperative complication rate between EBBs (24%) and OBs (29%)
*** Most common was facial nerve paresis (22%)
Folk et al JAVMA 2022-
Effect of empirical versus definitive antimicrobial selection on postoperative complications in dogs and cats
undergoing total ear canal ablation with lateral bulla osteotomy:
In patients that received antimicrobials, where they more or less likely to exhibit infection related complications?
In patients that did not receive antimicrobials:
- Revision surgery?
- Short term neurological signs?
- If intraoperative bacterial cultures were positive and antimicrobials were administered within 1 month of surgery, patients were 86% less likely to exhibit infection-related complications
- Patients not administered antimicrobials were 10.3 times (10x) as likely to require a revision surgery and 2.83 times (3x) as likely to have short term neurological signs
Hartrum JAVMA 2025-
What % of TECA-BO surgeries led to ocular and/or neurophthalmic changes?
64%
*** Facial nerve deficits, Horner’s syndrome, KCS and corneal ulcers were noted during the postoperative period
Smith et al Vet Surg 2025-
Compared bacteria cultured during TECA and incision dehiscence:
What % of dogs had the same bacteria cultured before/during TECA and at the time of incisional dehiscence?
What % had different susceptibility pattern despite having the same bacteria cultured?
- 50%
- 4/7 dogs (57%)
** Cultures performed during TECA were not predictive of culture results at the time of dehiscence
** Antibiotic susceptibility patterns often changed when the same organism was cultured prior to and at incisional dehiscence
*** Repeating cultures is essential to treat infectious incisional dehiscence following TECA appropriately
Itoh et al JAVMA 2022-
In regards to aural hematoma treatment in dogs, what two treatment options were compared?
What was the recurrence rate?
- Compared surgical creation of multiple drainage holes versus local injection of corticosteroids
- Recurrence for steroids (33%) and drainage holes (4%)
*** The recurrence of the steroid treatment decreased after multiple injections
Lee et al VRU 2025-
What morphological change to the tympanic bulla was noted on CT or MRI in cats that would indicate early diagnosis of otitis media:
Mild or moderate bulla effusion cases?
Severe bulla effusion cases?
- Focal rim enhancement, predominantly localized to the DORSAL aspect of the tympanic bulla, was the most frequent enhancement pattern noted in cases with mild or moderate bulla effusion
- In cats with severe bulla effusion, additional patterns, including focal ventral or lateral, complete rim and internal enhancement emerged
*** These findings suggest that both the incidence and patterns of CT evolve with the progression of bulla effusion in cats and that focal dorsal enhancement may be an early indicator
Moissonnier JAVMA 2022-
What approach was evaluated for bulla osteotomies in cats?
Intraoperative complications?
Postoperative complications?
% free of middle ear disease 6 months post-op?
- Transoral ventral tympanic bulla osteotomy
- 0%
- 8/13 cats (62%) experienced postoperative complications including head tilt (n=2), Horner syndrome (n=3), loss of appetite (n=2) and temporary blindness (n=1)
- 69% (9/13 cats)
Enright et al JFMS 2023-
Endoscopic assisted lateral bulla osteotomy in cats:
Difference between visualizing middle ear between traditional and scope?
Success rate for entry into the hypotympanum?
- Soft tissue and osseous structures of the middle ear were readily visualized with a 1.9 mm scope
- Success rates for entry into the hypotympanum were high between both endoscope-assisted and traditional procedures with entry confirmed for 12/13 ears (92%) in each group
Bohin et al JSAP 2025-
Compartmental location of middle ear inflammatory polyps in cats:
What was the recommendation based on the findings of this study?
- This is the first study that documents the presence of feline aural inflammatory polyps in both compartments of the tympanic bulla in all cats with aural involvement
- Should a complete excision of feline aural inflammatory polyps be desired, complete debridement of both compartments of the tympanic bulla is required
*** Traction-avulsion techniques using approaches to tympanic bulla with no visit of the ventromedial compartment may not completely resolve the condition
Note:
** Anatomically, the middle ear of cats lies within the tympanic bulla (TB) which is divided into two compartments
** The largest one is the ventromedial compartment, separated from a smaller dorsolateral one by a thin bony septum
*** The external ear canal and Eustachian tube both communicate with the dorsolateral compartment
Oorsprong et al JFMS 2023-
What treatment was performed to remove small middle ear polyps from the auditory tube in cats?
Rigid normograde rhinoscopy assisted traction avulsion (RATA)
Pieper et al JVIM 2023-
What is a viable treatment option for dogs and cats with ceruminous gland tumors confined to the external ear canal?
- Video-otoscopic aided biopsy and CO2 laser ablation of ceruminous gland tumors in dogs and cats is a viable treatment option with low recurrence and complication rates with CO2 laser
** Bacterial otitis externa was present in 4/26 (15%) animals
** Recurrence was identified in 1/14 (7%) ceruminous gland adenomas and 1/12 (8%) ceruminous gland adenocarcinomas
Coeuriot VRU 2024-
What diagnostic was used to detect canine tympanokeratoma (cholesteatoma)?
Sn/Sp?
Accuracy?
- Nonechoplanar diffusion weighted MRI
- Sn 94%/Sp 54%
- 77% accuracy
