Diagnóstico ecográfico de afecciones hepáticas en caninos

Abstract

Lockett, M.B.; Koscinczuk, P.; Rosciani, A.S.; Insfrán, R.M.; Repetto, C.J.: Ultrasound diagnosis of hepatic canine alteration. Rev. vet. 20: 2, 92-96, 2009. Nowadays, ultrasonography is the diagnostic imaging procedure of first choice in hepatic pathology because it makes possible to assessment the organ structure, gall bladder, vessels, and liver relationship with other organs. Moreover, it makes possible to obtain samples for cytology and/or histopathology. This work describes the hepatic ultrasonographic alterations in dogs that arrived to the Diagnostic Service of Hospital de Clínicas, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Nacional del Nordeste (Corrientes, Argentina) during 2007-2009. From the total of patients that arrived to School of Veterinary Hospital) (n=14,625), 52 were referred by a probably liver pathology with signs, symptoms and biochemical alterations. From these 52 patients, 27% (n=14) had signs of hepatic alteration, while 73% (n=38) showed alterations in both liver and other organs. Considering observations on liver structure, 63% (n=33) showed an increment of size, 8% (n=4) organ-size reduction, and 29% (n=15) were on the normal limits. Taking into account the variations of the architecture of the liver, 79% of the cases had heterogenic distribution, while 21% were homogeneous; regarding hepatic ecogenicity, 81% of the cases showed diffuse alterations and 19% focal abnormalities. Pathological associations of liver and gallbladder were observed in 13% of the cases (n=7) and, although conventional ultrasonography was used for this study, we detected 27% (n=14) cases with vascular alterations. Even though liver ultrasonography presents some limitations regarding specificity and sensibility, it gives substantial information that allows to consider some diseases that may go unnoticed.