Computed tomographic findings in 12 cases of canine multi-centric lymphoma with splenic and hepatic involvement.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the CT findings in a population of dogs with multi-centric lymphoma that involved the spleen and liver. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Clinical records between January 2008 and June 2015 were reviewed. Thoracic and abdominal CT examinations of patients diagnosed with multi-centric lymphoma were evaluated by a board-certified radiologist. A diagnosis of multi-centric lymphoma with splenic and hepatic involvement was based upon cytological identification and immunophenotyping of neoplastic lymphocytes in cellular samples harvested from a peripheral lymph node, the spleen and the liver. RESULTS: Twelve dogs were included in this study, of which 11 had B-cell lymphoma; immunophenotyping was inconclusive in one dog. The spleen appeared normal in seven dogs and nodules were identified in five dogs. Splenic nodules were hypoattenuating in four of five dogs and isoattenuating in one of five. After contrast administration, three of five appeared hypoattenuating and two of five isoattenuating. The liver appeared normal in 10 dogs and hepatic nodules were identified in two dogs. All hepatic nodules were isoattenuating before contrast and hypoattenuating following contrast administration. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The CT appearance of the spleen and liver was normal in the majority of dogs with multi-centric lymphoma. Fine needle aspiration of the spleen and liver is recommended when using CT to stage dogs with multi-centric lymphoma.

Lack of associations between ultrasonographic appearance of parenchymal lesions of the canine liver and histological diagnosis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess if there are any ultrasonographic features that may enable tentative diagnosis of hepatic parenchymal disease. METHODS: Records of 371 dogs that had abdominal ultrasonography and abnormal liver on biopsy or necropsy were reviewed. RESULTS: Histological diagnoses were hepatitis (n=77), nodular hyperplasia (n=47), vacuolar change (n=45), fibrosis (n=32), primary hepatic carcinoma (n=30), lymphoma (n=28), metastatic neoplasia (n=27), necrosis (n=21), lipidosis (n=17), haemangiosarcoma (n=13), round cell tumour (n=9), hepatocellular adenoma (n=8), degenerative change (n=6), steroid hepatopathy (n=7) and extramedullary haematopoiesis (n=4). The most prevalent ultrasonographic features were multifocal lesions (63% livers with haemangiosarcoma and 43% livers with hepatocellular carcinoma), diffuse lesions (71% livers with steroid hepatopathy, 44% livers with fibrosis and 40% livers with vacuolar hepatopathy), hyperechoic lesions (71% livers with steroid hepatopathy, 41% livers with lipidosis and 38% livers with fibrosis), heterogeneous lesions (62% livers with haemangiosarcoma), hepatomegaly (43% livers with steroid hepatopathy) and peritoneal fluid (62% livers with haemangiosarcoma). Target lesions were associated with malignancy in 67% instances. Marked variability in ultrasonographic appearance of lesions was observed for all diagnoses, and no statistically significant associations between ultrasonographic appearance and diagnosis were found. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Histological examination remains essential for diagnosis of canine hepatic disease.

Duodenal Brunner's gland adenoma causing chronic small intestinal obstruction in a dog.

An eight-year-old, neutered, female English springer spaniel was presented with a 14-month history of vomiting, marked weight loss and lethargy, all of which were non-responsive to medical therapy. Abdominal radiographs and ultrasonography showed an intraluminal soft tissue mass extending from the pyloric antrum to the proximal duodenum. Two spherical masses both approximately 8 cm in diameter were removed via a duodenotomy. Histopathological examination showed the first mass to be a trichobezoar and the aboral mass to be a Brunner's gland adenoma. Surgery resulted in a complete resolution of the clinical signs.

Computed tomography as an aid to management of chronic oropharyngeal stick injury in the dog.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the use of computed tomography scanning in the management of dogs with chronic signs after oropharyngeal stick injury. METHODS: Dogs with a final diagnosis of chronic oropharyngeal stick injury that underwent a computed tomography scan during their investigation were selected retrospectively from case files at the Royal Veterinary College, London. RESULTS: The six dogs were young (median age 3.1 years) and medium to large breed (19.0 to 42.0 kg). By the time of referral the most common clinical sign was cervical swelling (five dogs). Stick foreign bodies were apparent on the plain computed tomography images in all cases and appeared as well-demarcated, linear abnormalities. A ventral mid-line approach was used for foreign body retrieval, and the computed tomography findings corresponded well with the surgical findings, with stick foreign body length ranging from 1 to 7 cm. Closed suction drainage was used in five dogs, for two to four days. Clinical signs fully resolved postoperatively in all cases, although cervical swelling recurred three weeks after surgery in one case. This dog had the smallest foreign body, the greatest number of surgical interventions before referral (three) and the longest disease course before referral (eight months). CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Computed tomography scanning is accurate in identifying the presence and location of chronic stick foreign bodies. Recurrence of disease is possible despite successful retrieval of the wood fragments found by computed tomography scan.

Errors in radiographic interpretation made by veterinary students.

As a means of identifying student weaknesses in radiographic interpretation that could be used as foci for teaching, a cohort of 96 students joining the final-year radiology rotation were randomly allocated to one of three radiographic interpretation quizzes, each based on radiographs of small-animal patients together with the signalment and a brief, relevant history. Students' quiz scores were analyzed by multiple logistic regression, using an outcome variable with the score for each item as numerator and maximum possible mark as denominator. Students' median quiz score was 49% of the maximum (range 23-80%). Students were more likely to gain a mark for items based on abnormal radiographs than for those based on normal radiographs (odds ratio 3.4, p < 0.001). Skeletal radiographs were associated with lower scores (OR 0.75, p = 0.03). The fewest marks were awarded for interpretation of a radiograph of a normal canine stifle and interpretation of a radiograph of a normal canine pelvis; these items were misinterpreted as abnormal by 86% and 80% of the students, respectively. Students' tendency to over-interpret normal radiographs may reflect a lack of knowledge of radiographic anatomy or an unrealistically high expectation that the radiographs are abnormal.

Characteristics of magnetic resonance images of granulomatous meningoencephalomyelitis in 11 dogs.

The characteristics of magnetic resonance imaging (mri) of the brains and spinal cords of 11 dogs with histologically confirmed granulomatous meningoencephalomyelitis (gme) were determined. The lesions were in the brain of eight of the dogs, in the brain and spinal cord of two, and in the spinal cord alone in one dog. A single lesion was present in four of the dogs and multiple lesions were found in six. In one dog with intracranial signs, no visible lesions could be detected on mri. No meningeal enhancement was detected in T1-weighted images post-contrast, or in fluid attenuation inversion recovery (flair) images, but there were histological lesions in the meninges in nine of the dogs. The T2-weighted images and flair sequences were characterised in all cases by hyperintensity, whereas the signal intensity of the lesions on T1-weighted images was variable. After the administration of paramagnetic contrast, some of the lesions showed no enhancement, but others showed marked patterns of enhancement. The lesions in 10 of the dogs were easily identifiable by mri and the images had several unifying characteristics, but they could not be considered disease-specific.

Brain and spinal cord haemorrhages associated with Angiostrongylus vasorum infection in four dogs.

Multifocal haemorrhages associated with Angiostrongylus vasorum infection were observed in the central nervous system of four dogs with neurological signs including depression, seizures, spinal pain and paresis. In magnetic resonance images the majority of the lesions were isointense or slightly hyperintense in T1-weighted images, hyperintense in T2-weighted images and hypointense in T2*-weighted (gradient echo) images, compatible with haemorrhages more than seven days old. Lesions were found in the brain of three of the dogs and in the spinal cord of two. The cerebrospinal fluid contained high concentrations of protein and evidence of erythrophagia. All the dogs had coagulopathy and pulmonary haemorrhage of varying severity. A vasorum larvae were detected in the faeces of each of the dogs. Neural A vasorum was confirmed at postmortem examination in two dogs.

MRI findings in a dog with discospondylitis caused by Bordetella species.

A case of discospondylitis in a dog secondary to Bordetella species, diagnosed early with the assistance of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), is reported. The history and clinical signs were suggestive of possible discospondylitis. MRI identified changes and allowed a presumptive diagnosis of discospondylitis, which was subsequently confirmed by bacterial culture of biopsy material. Discospondylitis associated with Bordetella species infection has not, to the authors' knowledge, been previously reported in the dog.

Accuracy of diagnostic ultrasound for detection of cystic lesions: determination using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of findings in phantom studies.

Anechoic, spherical cystic lesions are important findings on ultrasound examination. In polycystic renal disease of cats, they may be the only ultrasonographic sign of disease. This study assesses the accuracy of ultrasound, as used in a veterinary setting, for the detection of cysts. Using a spherical lesion ultrasound imaging phantom and 7.5- to 8-MHz linear array transducers, images of cysts of 2- and 4-mm diameter were created at various imaging depths from 0 to 6 cm. These were digitized and given to a panel of readers for interpretation. Area under receiver operating characteristic curves were used to evaluate test accuracy. It was shown that test accuracy was different at different imaging depths and differed with machines of differing price category. It is suggested that when setting standards for quality control in ultrasound, criteria used might be better related to imaging outcome studies rather than to aspects of machine specification.

Radiographic signs in cats with nasal disease.

Radiographic signs in 64 cats that had radiography as part of the diagnostic work-up for suspected nasal disease were reviewed in a blinded fashion. Final diagnoses in these cats were rhinitis in 27, primary nasal neoplasia in 21 and non-nasal disease in 16. The signs with highest predictive value for nasal neoplasia were displacement of midline structures (73%), unilateral generalised soft tissue opacity (70%), unilateral generalised loss of turbinate detail (69%) and evidence of bone invasion (64%). The only radiographic finding that occurred more frequently in cats with rhinitis was a nasal cavity within normal limits, and the predictive value of this sign was only 38%. Radiographic signs in cats with nasal neoplasia are similar to those reported in dogs, whereas the radiographic signs in cats with rhinitis are variable and non-specific, and may be absent.

Most dogs with medullary rim sign on ultrasonography have no demonstrable renal dysfunction.

The medullary rim sign is a distinct hyperechoic line in the renal medulla parallel to the corticomedullary junction that has been reported in dogs with a variety of renal diseases. To examine the association between medullary rim sign and renal disease, the medical records of thirty-two dogs that had medullary rim sign were reviewed retrospectively. Eighteen dogs (56%) had no evidence of renal dysfunction; 14 (44%) had clinicopathological evidence of renal disease, including 6 (19%) that had hypercalcemic nephropathy. Most dogs (72%) in which medullary rim sign was the only ultrasonographic finding affecting the kidneys had no evidence of renal dysfunction. In contrast, 78% dogs that had medullary rim sign and other renal signs (reduced size, increased medullary echogenicity, and pyelectasia) had renal disease. On the basis of this study, the medullary rim sign appears to be a non-specific ultrasonographic sign; however, the possibility cannot be excluded that is a sentinel sign of subclinical renal disease.

Assessment of the accuracy of thoracic radiography in the diagnosis of canine chronic bronchitis.

Thoracic radiographs from 23 dogs with chronic bronchitis were mixed with those taken from 11 dogs (matched by age and bodyweight) without respiratory disease and interpreted twice by two blinded, independent examiners in an attempt to determine the accuracy of radiography for the diagnosis of chronic bronchitis. The only radiographic signs found more often in dogs with chronic bronchitis were thickening of the bronchial walls and increased numbers of visible bronchial walls (P < 0.01). Other signs, including bronchial calcification and interstitial pattern, occurred with similar frequency in both groups of dogs. The examiners were consistent in their interpretations (kappa > 0.64). The accuracy of radiographic diagnosis of chronic bronchitis is limited principally by insensitivity for bronchial lesions.

Ultrasonographic features of intestinal intussusception in 10 dogs.

Records of dogs that had abdominal ultrasonography and surgical or pathological diagnosis of intestinal intussusception between February 1992 and June 1997 were reviewed retrospectively. Ultrasound images were reviewed with respect to appearance of the intussusception, suspected location, evidence of predisposing cause and concurrent lesions. Ten intussusceptions were found, affecting a variety of breeds. The mean (range) age of affected dogs was 2.5 (0.3 to seven) years (four females and six males) and the reported duration of clinical signs, 48 (one to 150) days. Intussusceptions were jejunojejunal (five dogs), ileocolic (three), caecocolic (one) and colocolic (one). A concentric ring sign was identified ultrasonographically in each dog and anatomical location predicted correctly in five instances. Additional ultrasonographic findings associated with intussusceptions included intestinal neoplasm in two dogs, enlarged abdominal lymph nodes in two, multiple mesenteric cysts in one and intestinal foreign body in a further dog. Thus, ultrasonography enables accurate diagnosis of intestinal intussusception and is a useful method for searching for concurrent or predisposing lesions.