Second Edition: Loco-Regional Anaesthesia in Veterinary Medicine

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the Second Edition of the Special Issue "Loco-Regional Anaesthesia in Veterinary Medicine".

Following the resounding success of the First Edition, we are seeking further submissions of cutting-edge research articles on loco-regional anaesthesia in veterinary medicine.

One of the main responsibilities of anaesthetists is to facilitate the management of any pain/nociception that the patient may experience during hospitalization, and to possibly extend this benefit beyond the immediate postoperative period.

In this context, there is a growing appreciation for the critical role that loco-regional anaesthesia can play in multimodal anaesthetic strategy. This is especially relevant given the current focus on reducing or eliminating unnecessary peri‐operative opioid administration, improving postoperative pain relief, and enabling early discharge after surgery.

Advances in pharmacology, electronics and imaging techniques, and the perineural catheter-based continuous infusion of local anaesthetic have motivated research activity in relation to loco-regional anaesthesia and encouraged its use in daily medicine within veterinary practice settings. Loco-regional anaesthesia techniques should play a role within present and future veterinary anaesthetist educational programs.

This Special Issue will present recent research, case reports, and reviews on loco-regional anaesthesia in small, large, and non-conventional animals, with a particular focus on methodology, clinical application, and novel techniques.

We look forward to your contributions on the important issues within loco-regional anaesthesia.

Dr. Hamaseh Tayari
Dr. Angela Briganti
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• dog
• cat
• large animal
• non-conventional pet
• local anaesthetic
• ultrasound
• needle
• adjuvant
• nerve blocks
• regional anaesthesia
• perineural catheter

• Loco-Regional Anaesthesia in Veterinary Medicine in Animals (13 articles)

Title: Transcutaneous fluoroscopic guided celiac plexus approach: results in a pig cadaveric model
Authors: F. Aprea; Y. Millan; A. Tomás; G. Sempere; R. Navarrete; M.M. Granados
Affiliation: a Hospital Canis Mallorca, Palma, Spain b IdisBa, Palma, Spain c Animal Medicine and Surgery Department, School of Veterinary Medicine, Cordoba, Spain d Department of Comparative Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Cordoba, Spain
Abstract: Celiac plexus block (CPB) and neurolysis (CPN) have been used in the last decades as part of multimodal pain management in people suffering from abdominal conditions such as pancreatic tumors or chronic pancreatitis (Sachdev & Gress 2018). The fluoroscopically guided approach for CPB and CPN is commonly employed in Human Medicine however, in Veterinary Medicine this technique has not been described neither clinically nor experimentally. The aim of this study was to describe a fluoroscopic approach to the celiac plexus (CP) in fresh pig cadavers. Twelve animals were included in the procedure. Cadavers were enrolled from a not related, not survival study. Prior to enrollment, one cadaver (not included in the procedure) was used as a model to identify landmarks (e.g. number of vertebras) and confirm the localization of the CP. Swine cadavers were positioned in prone position and under fluoroscopic guidance, a Chiba needle was inserted parasagittal at 6 cm from the spine at level of the last thoracic vertebra. The needle was directed medio-ventrally with a 45 angle towards T15 vertebral body, once the vertebral body was contacted, the needle was advanced a further cm ventrally towards midline. Iodinated contrast was injected to confirm correct location (retroperitoneal) and rule out intravascular administration. Once needle positioning was considered appropriate, 2 ml of dye (China ink) were injected. To determine the success of the technique, an exploratory celiotomy was performed and a sample (2 cm) of the stained tissue was dissected, collected in histological cassettes, and fixed in 4% neutral buffered formalin for 24-72h for routine histologic process. One stained sample was obtained from each subject. Histological study aimed to identify nerve fibers or ganglia with hematoxiline-eosine and immunohistochemical techniques. The CP was found in the retroperitoneal space, ventrally to the body of the last thoracic vertebra, in proximity of the aorta and the mesenteric trunk. Of the 12 samples submitted for histological evaluation, in 10 we observed neuronal (ganglia and/or fibers) tissue in histological and/or immunohistochemical studies. Fluoroscopy guidance allows a feasible access to the CP in swine cadavers. The efficacy of CPB and CPN for visceral pain control should be assessed in swine and other Veterinary species for its potential clinical use.