Lumbosacral epidurography with different volumes of iohexol in cats

Abstract

The objective of this work determinate the cranial migration of different levels of iohexol, administrated by the lumbosacral epidural anesthesia, analyzing the possible effects under some physiological variables, in felines. It was used 10 felines with no defined breed, five males and five females no pregnant and healthy, with 1± 0,5 years old and weighting 2,2± 3,1 kg. The animals were sedated with xylazine (1 mg/kg IM) and 15 minutes after, it was administrated iohexol in the dose of 0,22 mL/kg (G1) and of 0,3 mL/kg (G2), by the epidural anesthesia. Were analyzed: the cranial migration of the contrast, the consequent ataxia, the cardiac frequency (CF), the P wave duration, the P-R gap, the QRS complex, the Q-T gap, the respiratory frequency (f), the body temperature (ºC). In the G1 the contrast did a migration until the L2 vertebra (10,2±1,7 cm), lower values than the obtained in the G2 (L1 and 12,1±2,9 cm). There was no significant statistical variation for FC, the P wave duration, the P-R gap, the QRS complex duration, the Q-T gap and f. The T°C decreased significantly in the G1 from the T40, and less than the G2 at T60. It can be concluded that the dose of 0,3mL/kg is potentially the most indicated to promote the anesthetic block of the ovarian pedicles inthe felines, when using local anesthetics, and the iohexol do not modify the physiological parameters.