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A 4-year-old nulliparous Labrador Retriever bitch and a 7-year-old nulliparous crossbreed bitch were referred for weakness and vomiting. Ultrasonographic examination revealed in both cases a large abdominal mass-lesion with corpuscular fluid content; computed tomography examination revealed in both cases the uterine origin of the lesions, with findings consistent with torsion. Surgery confirmed the uterine torsion upon the ovarian pedicle in both cases, and at histological examination both presented a uterine polyp associated with haemorrhage and necrosis of the uterine wall. Both patients were released in good clinical conditions.

A six-year-old intact male Chihuahua dog was referred for vomiting, diarrhoea and weight loss. Ultrasonographic (US) and computed tomographic examination revealed a focal thickening in the jejunum, with no signs of gross metastatic disease. Histology and immunohistochemistry performed after surgical resection revealed a presumed large granular lymphocytic lymphoma. Treatment with chlorambucil was started, and no signs of recurrence were noticed at serial US follow-up for the following months. Six months after surgery, several lesions were seen in the ventrolateral aspect of the peritoneal cavity both on ultrasonography and CT, and cytology confirmed the suspicion of peritoneal lymphomatosis.

Liver lobe torsion (LLT) is an uncommon condition of unknown origin in dogs. Several reports describe the clinical features and outcome, but only few of them include the imaging characteristics of this disease. The aim of this descriptive case series was to describe the ultrasonographic (US) and multidetector-row computed tomographic (MDCT) features of LLT in a group of dogs. Five dogs were included in this single-center descriptive study, having both US, CT and surgical and histological confirmation of LLT available for review. Different US appearances have been found, both hypoechoic and hyperechoic liver lobes and heterogeneous mass-like lesions, with fluid and gas content. At three-phase MDCT examination, LLT appeared as fluid- and gas-filled lesions (consistent with abscess transformation), or as hypoattenuating hypovascular lobes. Two different vascular signs were also described: whirl sign or vascular interruption were seen in all cases, allowing a correct pre-surgical diagnosis in all the cases presented. Multiphase MDCT was a helpful imaging method for the correct pre-surgical diagnosis of LLT in dogs, and its use in the suspected cases is therefore advisable.

An 11-month-old male intact French Bulldog was referred for chronic intermittent diarrhea lasting three months. Ultrasonographic (US) examination revealed severe thickening of the wall of the colon and caecum; contrast-enhanced US (CEUS) and elastography showed increased, heterogeneous vascularization and non-uniform stiffness of the colonic wall. The mucosa was thickened, fragile, and ulcerated as revealed by endoscopy, and histological examination confirmed the suspicion of granulomatous colitis.

The present retrospective study evaluated the progression of osteoarthritis in stifle joints based on the radiographic grade of osteoarthritis (OA) scored in dogs with cranial cruciate ligament rupture. The aim of the study was to search for a correlation between the stage of radiographic osteoarthritis prior to surgery and the osteoarthritis progression occurring after the tibial tuberosity advancement (TTA) procedure. It was hypothesized that the procedure carried out in dogs in the early stages of OA could reduce the OA changes. A total of 190 X-ray images obtained from the medical records of 38 dogs were evaluated. The radiographic signs of osteoarthritis of 38 stifle joints were scored from 0 to 3 in 10 specific anatomic locations. The radiographs were divided into 4 groups based on the global scores: A) no-OA, B) mild-OA, C) moderate-OA, D) severe-OA; they were assessed prior to surgery, and 1, 2, 3 and 6 months post-operatively (T0, T1, T2, T3 and T6). There were no differences in osteoarthritis progression in Groups A and C at any time. Osteoarthritis changes from T0 to T6 were statistically significant in Group B. The OA changes in the anatomic locations were investigated. The most common anatomic sites for OA changes were the patella apex, the proximal and distal trochlear ridges, and the caudal aspect of the tibial plateau assessed before surgery. After surgery, the score increased in the first three locations in 10, 9 and 11 joints, respectively; instead, the progression of osteoarthritis in the caudal aspect of the tibial plateau occurred in 23 out of 38 stifle joints. The results indicated that the TTA procedure could be effective in slowing down the OA progression when carried out in the absence of or in the early stages of disease. Therefore, an early intervention may be suggested in clinical practice to obtain minimal or no progression 6 months postoperatively.

Tumors of adrenal and thyroid glands have been associated with vascular invasions&mdash, so-called tumor thrombi, both in humans and dogs. The detection and characterization of venous thrombi is an important diagnostic step in patients with primary tumors for both surgical planning and prognosis. The aim of this study was to describe the use of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) for the characterization of tumor thrombi. Dogs with tumor thrombus who underwent bi-dimensional ultrasound (B-mode US) and CEUS were included. Seven dogs were enrolled in this retrospective case series. On B-mode US, all thrombi were visualized, and vascular distension and thrombus-tumor continuity were seen in three and two cases, respectively. On color Doppler examination, all thrombi were identified, seemed non-occlusive and only two presented vascularity. On CEUS, arterial-phase enhancement and washout in the venous phase were observed in all cases. Non-enhancing areas were identified in the tumor thrombi most likely representing non-vascularized tissue that could potentially be embolized in the lungs after fragmentation of the tumor thrombi. On the basis of these preliminary study, CEUS appeared to be useful for the characterization of malignant intravascular invasion.

Background: In dogs, due to better alignment with the aortic outflow, the subcostal (SC) transducer site provides greater Doppler-derived velocities than those obtained from the left parasternal view. The feasibility of this imaging approach has never been described in equine echocardiography. Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of the SC view in newborn foals and compare aortic two-dimensional and Doppler-derived velocity measurements with those of standard parasternal long-axis (LAX) views. Study design: A prospective observational study. Methods: Twenty-three newborn healthy Standardbred and Warmblood foals, aged from 7 h to 6 days, underwent transthoracic two-dimensional (2DE), M-mode and Doppler echocardiography that was performed in lateral recumbency. Right and left parasternal long-axis (R-LAX, L-LAX) and SC views were obtained to perform 2DE and Doppler assessments of the aortic valve (AoV). Aortic diameter at the sinus of Valsalva (AoS D) was measured from R-LAX and SC images. Aortic maximal velocity (AoV Velmax), velocity time integral (AoV VTI) and pressure gradient (AoV PG) were obtained by pulsed wave Doppler spectra from SC and L-LAX views. Results: The SC view was feasible in all foals. No significant difference was found in AoS D between different views (P = 0.06), and no significant correlation was detected for bodyweight (BW). AoV Velmax, VTI and PG obtained from the SC view were greater than from the L-LAX view (P

Background This study describes the feasibility of Contrast Enhanced Ultrasonography (CEUS) in the diagnostic work-up of non-cardiac thoracic disorders of small animals. The second aim is to assess the usefulness of CEUS as a direct guide for sample procedures. Results Forty animals, 28 dogs and 12 cats, were included in the study. Thoracic disorders included 23 pulmonary lesions [primary carcinoma (14), lymphoma (1), sarcoma (1), histiocytic sarcoma (1), abscess (1) and pneumonia (5)] and 17 mediastinal lesions [lymphoma (8), thymoma (3), mesothelioma (1), melanoma (1), carcinomatous lymphadenopathy (1), mixsosarcoma (1), lipoma (1), and abscess (1)]. The majority of neoplastic pulmonary lesions showed an inhomogeneous distribution of contrast medium, whereas inflammatory lesions had a homogenous distribution with typical pulmonary vessels ramification. The majority of mediastinal malignant lesions showed an inhomogeneous distribution pattern. The lung and mediastinal abscesses had peripheral enhancement of the wall with an avascular center. All cytological and biopsy samples obtained after CEUS were diagnostic. Quantitative analysis, performed in 19/23 pulmonary lesions, showed a statistically significant difference (P

A retrospective search was conducted to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the vertebral heart score (VHS) and other related radiographic indices in the detection of cardiac enlargement associated with different cardiac disorders in the cat. One hundred and five cats with a complete echocardiographic examination and radiographic examination of the thorax with at least two orthogonal views were enrolled. Eighty-three cats had different cardiac disorders, 72 with left-sided cardiac disorders (LSCD) and 11 with right-sided cardiac disorders; 22 cats were free of cardiovascular abnormalities. Measurements of VHS and cardiac long and short axes on lateral (L) and dorsoventral or ventrodorsal radiographs were obtained. Receiver operating characteristic curves were calculated to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of each radiographic index in differentiating between cats with cardiac disorders or cats with LSCD and cats without cardiac abnormalities and, among cats with LSCD, between those with no or mild left atrial enlargement (LAE) or those with moderate-to-severe LAE and healthy cats. The L-VHS at the cut-off of 7.9 had high diagnostic accuracy in distinguishing cats with LSCD and moderate-to-severe LAE from healthy cats, but all the other radiographic indices were moderately accurate in distinguishing between cats with overall cardiac disorders or LSCD, either with no or mild LAE and moderate-to-severe LAE, and healthy cats. The considered radiographic indices were also moderately accurate in predicting different degrees of LAE in cats with LSCD. Radiographic indices are reasonably specific, but less sensitive predictors of cardiac enlargement in cats with heart disorders.