Franchini Delia, Valastro Carmela, Ciccarelli Stefano, Caprio Francesco, Lenoci Diana, Di Bello Antonio
1 Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Str. Prov. per Casamassima Km 3, 70010 Valenzano (Bari), Italy.
2 Viale Europa1, 71042 Cerignola (FG), Italy.
J Wildl Dis. 2018 Oct;54(4):680-690. doi: 10.7589/2017-12-302. Epub 2018 May 23.
Loggerhead sea turtles ( Caretta caretta) are among the most frequent victims of bycatch in drifting longlines, and the ingestion of fish hooks and fishing lines is one of the most frequent causes of death of sea turtles. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether coelomic ultrasound (US) can be decisive, not only for diagnosis but also to optimize surgical planning based on preoperative evaluation of the bowel conditions and, in addition, to see if there are characteristic sonographic findings in sea turtles associated with the ingestion of fishing lines. Physical examination, hematology, blood chemistry, radiographs, and US examination were performed in 37 loggerhead sea turtles with suspected or known ingestion of fish hooks or monofilament fishing lines. During the ultrasonographic examinations, the loggerhead sea turtles were placed in dorsal recumbency and the prefemoral left and right acoustic windows were used. Nine wild loggerheads had sonographic findings of intestinal and coelomic abnormalities, and the sonographic images were compared with the surgical findings. Ultrasonography positively identified the foreign body in 89% (8/9) animals. The presence of intestinal plication (in all loggerhead turtles) and ultrasonographic visualization of the linear foreign body was always consistent with the ingestion of a fishing line. In sea turtles, fishing lines cause a corrugated appearance in the small intestine due to increased/unproductive peristalsis. The affected small bowel loops are usually dilated with fluid. In the present study, coelomic US allowed us to make a thorough evaluation of the characteristics, number, and severity of the bowel wall lesions in the animals, thus ensuring the planning of a correct surgical procedure. We suggest that US examination of the coelomic cavity should be complementary to radiographic survey in cases of suspected ingestion of fish hooks and fishing lines by sea turtles.
蠵龟（Caretta caretta）是延绳钓误捕的最常见受害者之一，吞食鱼钩和鱼线是海龟死亡的最常见原因之一。本研究的目的是评估体腔超声（US）是否不仅对诊断具有决定性作用，而且能基于术前对肠道状况的评估优化手术规划，此外，还要观察海龟吞食鱼线是否有特征性超声表现。对37只疑似或已知吞食鱼钩或单丝鱼线的蠵龟进行了体格检查、血液学检查、血液生化检查、X光检查和超声检查。在超声检查过程中，将蠵龟置于背卧位，使用股前左右声学窗口。9只野生蠵龟有肠道和体腔异常的超声表现，并将超声图像与手术结果进行了比较。超声检查在89%（8/9）的动物中准确识别出了异物。肠道褶皱的存在（在所有蠵龟中）以及线性异物的超声可视化始终与吞食鱼线一致。在海龟中，鱼线会导致小肠因蠕动增加/无效而出现波纹状外观。受影响的小肠袢通常会因积液而扩张。在本研究中，体腔超声使我们能够全面评估动物肠壁病变的特征、数量和严重程度，从而确保正确手术程序的规划。我们建议，在怀疑海龟吞食鱼钩和鱼线的情况下，体腔超声检查应作为X光检查的补充。
