ENDOSCOPIC DIAGNOSTICS OF CHRONIC DISEASES OF THE NASAL CAVITY IN DOGS

Results of a two-year project focused on diagnostic efficacy of various endoscopic techniques and their combination in 52 dogs affected by chronic diseases of the nasal cavity are presented. The rigid endoscope Hopkins (diameter 2.7 mm, length 18 cm, Karl Storz, Tuttlingen) and the flexible endoscope Olympus BF Type PE (Olympus Optical Co., Hamburg) were used for anterior and posterior rhinoscopy, respectively. Bioptic samples of damaged nasal tissues were collected under endoscopic guidance, fixed in 10 % buffered neutral formaldehyde for 12 to 24 h and processed by the conventional paraffin technique. Deep swabs for bacteriological and mycological examinations were also collected under rhinoscopic guidance. Bacterial and fungal rhinitis and neoplasms were diagnosed in 50%, 19.2%, and 23.1 % of the patients, respectively. Foreign bodies were found in four patients (7.7%). Three patients affected by mycotic rhinitis developed fungal plaques on the nasal mucosa. The passage of endoscope was completely blocked by tumours in the anterior part of the nasal cavity in two patients. Destructive lesions were found mostly in patients with chronic nasal problems (aspergillosis, foreign body, chronic bacterial infection). Anterior rhinoscopy with a rigi