Metallic foreign body in the liver of a dog

Abstract

A 4-year-old beagle had intermittent vomiting and weight loss for 1 month. On plain radiography, an approximately 3.5-cm, radiopaque, linear foreign body was identified in the region of the liver. On ultrasonography, a hyperechoic linear structure with reverberation was identified in the left lobe or quadrate lobe. On computed tomography(CT), a thin hyperattenuating material consistent with a metallic foreign body was identified just medial to the gall bladder. Removal of the foreign body was performed without complications. We present a rare case in which a metallic foreign body was embedded in the liver asymptomatically and found incidentally during a clinical examination performed to ascertain the cause of clinical signs.