Veterinary Radiology & Ultrasound最新文献

Computed tomography is commonly used to evaluate the reptile coelom. One challenge in the acquisition of contrast-enhanced CT studies in reptiles is the difficulty in placing intravenous catheters due to the poor conspicuity of peripheral vessels. To overcome these limitations, intraosseous catheterization of the long bones (humerus, femur, and tibia) can be used. The purpose of this prospective study was to assess the feasibility and diagnostic value of contrast-enhanced CT of the coelom using a femoral intraosseous route for contrast administration. Twelve healthy juvenile green iguanas were enrolled. In 9 of 12 iguanas, vascular phases were obtained, providing strong, homogeneous enhancement of the arterial and venous tree concurrently. In these nine cases, Phase #1, acquired 60 s after beginning the injection of contrast medium, provided maximal contrast between the hepatic parenchyma and hepatic vasculature. In the remaining three cases, injection failure resulted from intracortical placement of the catheter tip. Histological examination of the liver, kidneys, and femur was performed to determine the pathomorphological correlates of the CT findings; in a third of patients, some degree of contrast-induced renal toxicity was documented, which in mammalians shows potential for reversibility. Four iguanas had iatrogenic structural damage to the femoral growth plates attributed to intraosseous catheter placement. A femoral intraosseous route can be used in green iguanas for iodinated contrast medium administration for CT angiography. For the greatest contrast between coelomic organs and vascular structures, at least one postcontrast acquisition 60 s after initiation of contrast administration is recommended when using this technique.

Extradural neoplasms are the most common spinal tumors in small animals. A bilobed appearance of ventral extradural spinal lesions ("gullwing sign") on MRI has been described with various conditions. The objective of this retrospective study was to determine if a "gullwing sign" is more common with certain types of extradural tumors. MRI studies of dogs and cats with extradural spinal neoplasms were reviewed for the presence of a "gullwing sign". Statistical analysis was performed to evaluate a possible relationship between tumor class and the presence of a "gullwing sign". Sixty-six cases were included (5 epithelial, 31 mesenchymal, 4 neuroendocrine, and 26 round cell tumors). A "gullwing sign" was identified in 12 of 66 cases (18.2%) and was significantly more common with round cell neoplasia than other tumor types (P < .001; OR = 28.6, 95% CI [3.4, 241.1]). This information may aid radiologists in prioritizing differential diagnoses for extradural tumors in small animals.

Tracheal collapse is a chronic and progressively worsening disease; the severity of clinical symptoms experienced by affected individuals depends on the degree of airway collapse. Cutting-edge automated tools are necessary to modernize disease screening using radiographs across various veterinary settings, such as animal clinics and hospitals. This is primarily due to the inherent challenges associated with interpreting uncertainties among veterinarians. In this study, an artificial intelligence model was developed to screen canine tracheal collapse using archived lateral cervicothoracic radiographs. This model can differentiate between a normal and collapsed trachea, ranging from early to severe degrees. The you-only-look-once (YOLO) models, including YOLO v3, YOLO v4, and YOLO v4 tiny, were used to train and test data sets under the in-house XXX platform. The results showed that the YOLO v4 tiny-416 model had satisfactory performance in screening among the normal trachea, grade 1-2 tracheal collapse, and grade 3-4 tracheal collapse with 98.30% sensitivity, 99.20% specificity, and 98.90% accuracy. The area under the curve of the precision-recall curve was >0.8, which demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy. The intraobserver agreement between deep learning and radiologists was κ = 0.975 (P < .001), with all observers having excellent agreement (κ = 1.00, P < .001). The intraclass correlation coefficient between observers was >0.90, which represented excellent consistency. Therefore, the deep learning model can be a useful and reliable method for effective screening and classification of the degree of tracheal collapse based on routine lateral cervicothoracic radiographs.

Linguatula serrata ("tongue worm") is a zoonotic intranasal parasite found globally in wild dogs, free-ranging dogs, some domestic dogs, and vulpids. Since there are no sensitive tests currently available, infections are underdiagnosed. This is a pilot observational prospective study aimed at determining whether nasal linguatulosis can be diagnosed using CT. The secondary aims were to evaluate radiography, rhinoscopy, and nasal egg swabs as methods in the diagnosis of tongue worms. Fifty-four wild canids and three vulpids euthanased by gunshot were sourced from pest-control officers. Cadaver heads were subjected to helical CT examination, nasal-swabbed for tongue worm eggs, and necropsied. Radiographs and rhinoscopy were performed on cadavers suspected to be infected based on preliminary CT examination. Tongue worms were retrieved at necropsy in 25 dogs and one fox. CT findings in animals with no nasal cavity ballistic damage were reviewed in six infected dogs and one infected fox. Adult female tongue worms were identified in 4 of 6 dogs and 1 of 1 fox as long, tubular, slightly heterogeneously attenuating structures in the mid to caudal nasal cavities. They were not clearly visible in CT scans when surrounded by nasal fluid, and small parasites (male and immature females) were not discernible. Radiographic findings were mild and nonspecific. One tongue worm was detected in 1 of 12 dogs examined rhinoscopically. Tongue worm eggs were found in swabs from 7 of 25 dogs. While small tongue worms could not be detected with CT, CT proved to be a useful diagnostic method for visualizing adult female tongue worms.

A 5-year-old female alpaca was presented with respiratory distress and lethargy. Thoracic radiographs revealed a cranioventrally distributed alveolar pattern, caudodorsal bronchial pattern, cardiomegaly, increased soft tissue opaque content in the ventral thorax, and rounded soft tissue opaque structures craniodorsal to the carina. Cardiac gated CT demonstrated a patent ductus arteriosus, ventricular septal defect, complete left atrioventricular valve atresia, partial anomalous venous connections from the cranial pulmonary veins to the azygous and cranial vena cava, severe right-sided cardiomegaly, pleural and peritoneal fluid, and severe hepatic congestion. These findings were confirmed with necropsy.

Tracheal narrowing may increase airflow resistance, resulting in clinical manifestations associated with brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS). When diagnosing tracheal hypoplasia, established values are based on measurements established for English bulldogs or non-specific "bulldog" breeds. The objective of this study was to investigate tracheal diameter ratios in French bulldogs to gain a better understanding of what would constitute tracheal hypoplasia in this breed. A retrospective observational analysis was conducted to measure the right lateral thoracic radiographs of 139 French bulldogs to investigate tracheal diameter ratios. Pulmonary disease was observed in 55/139 dogs. The mean TD:Ti for healthy French bulldogs was 0.15 (±0.02), and the mean TD:ML was 0.32 (±0.07). 44/84 dogs had a TD:Ti < 0.15 (±0.02), and 37/65 dogs had a TD:ML < 0.32 (±0.07). At least one thoracic vertebral anomaly was observed in 131/139 of evaluated French bulldogs, and sternal malformations were observed in 42/139 dogs. TD:ML showed an excellent interclass correlation between observers (ICC_inter 0.9562). The listed covariables were compared for statistical significance when measuring relative tracheal ratios, and none were found. There was a statistically significant relationship between TD:Ti and sex. An objective value for tracheal hypoplasia in French bulldogs has previously not been established. The mean TD:Ti described for French bulldogs in this study is higher than that previously described in other "bulldog" populations. The mean TD:ML is similar to previously reported for non-brachycephalic and non-bulldog brachycephalic small breed dogs. The correlative relationship between TD:Ti and TD:ML was statistically significant but weak.

Cross-sectional imaging is widely used to characterize adrenal gland tumors in humans. In small animal veterinary medicine, while some studies have attempted to distinguish between types of adrenal gland neoplasia using CT, peer-reviewed studies investigating canine adrenal glands on MRI are scant. This prospective, pilot, single-center, method comparison, cadaveric study aimed to assess the agreement between ex vivo MRI findings and analogous histopathological findings of the adrenal glands in dogs. The adrenal glands of randomly selected dogs presented for necropsy were examined by MRI (n = 31). Additionally, five adrenal masses in dogs who underwent invasive adrenalectomy (including three adrenocortical carcinomas, one pheochromocytoma, and one adenoma) were imaged. Subsequently, gross pathology and histopathology of all the specimens were performed and correlated with the imaging findings. Adrenal gland lesions were identified on MRI with a sensitivity of 24%, a specificity of 100%, a positive predictive value of 100%, a negative predictive value of 31%, and an accuracy of 45%. The present study provides MRI features of multiple adrenal gland lesions that had never been described in dogs, including cortical hyperplasia, nodular fibrosis, hemorrhage, or multiple tumors, such as adenoma, carcinoma, and hemangiosarcoma. While MRI identified numerous adrenal gland lesions, a significant portion of those went undetected. Therefore, the absence of adrenal gland lesions on MRI does not exclude the possibility of histological lesions being present.

Alfaxalone is a neuroactive steroid that modulates the GABA_A receptor, which has shown recent widespread use as a sedative and anesthetic agent in cats, especially in patients being screened for cardiovascular disease. This prospective, partially blinded, randomized experimental study aimed to determine if sedation with alfaxalone would alter the appearance of the cardiac silhouette or pulmonary vasculature on thoracic radiographs or echocardiographic indices of cardiac or pulmonary vascular size. Eleven apparently healthy adult cats were recruited from a research colony. Four-view thoracic radiographs and an echocardiogram were performed at baseline and following a 5 mg/kg intramuscular dose of alfaxalone. Vertebral heart score (VHS) and cranial and caudal lobar pulmonary vascular measurements were obtained at both time points by two independent blinded observers, and these were analyzed using two-way ANOVA. The nonblinded echocardiographer obtained echocardiographic measurements at both time points, which were analyzed using a paired t-test or Wilcoxon signed rank test. No significant differences were identified in VHS measurements or echocardiographic parameters between baseline and sedated cats. In healthy cats, alfaxalone does not appear to significantly affect the cardiovascular structures evaluated via thoracic radiography or echocardiography.

Computed tomography is a valuable diagnostic technique in the clinical work-up of dogs with oropharyngeal trauma and bleeding. Traumatic extravasation can manifest as a pseudoaneurysm. A pseudoaneurysm is an extraluminal accumulation of blood that is contained by the adventitia layer or neighboring tissues. The purpose of this retrospective, multicenter, observational case series study was to describe the CT features in dogs with presumed oropharyngeal arterial pseudoaneurysm and its potential association with trauma. Imaging archives were searched for canine patients with head and neck CT studies showing visible extravasation of contrast-enhanced blood contained by soft tissue structures. Medical records of these patients were reviewed for oropharyngeal bleeding or trauma and reported. Four dogs met the inclusion criteria. CT findings included a well-defined, confined area of vascular contrast enhancement adjacent to the common carotid artery or its branches. The mean contrast enhancement in the corresponding artery and pseudoaneurysm lesion was similar, suggesting that these lesions represent active arterial extravasation. Four-dimensional CT was performed in one case and demonstrated contrast medium leaking from an artery and being contained by adjacent soft tissue structures. All dogs had a history and imaging findings consistent with oropharyngeal bleeding and trauma. Arterial pseudoaneurysm should be considered as a differential diagnosis in dogs with oral trauma and CT features of a well-defined, periarterial, strongly contrast-enhancing lesion.

This case report refers to a 1-year-old Guinea pig showing signs of anorexia and antipain posture. On abdominal radiography, five rounded mineral opaque structures were evident in the mid-caudal abdomen. On ultrasound, a right seminal vesicle with a reduction in diameter was observed, containing less echogenic material than the contralateral one, with five oval structures with a hyperechogenic contour and a central hypoechogenic area, forming acoustic shadowing. The left seminal vesicle presented with the usual characteristics. After bilateral vesiculectomy, the patient recovered well, with no further symptoms. The histopathological result was a suppurative/abscessive inflammatory process with an accumulation of proteinaceous material.