Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
American canine hepatozoonosis causes bone changes on CT in dogs
By Coy, Cambridge L et al.·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2022·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: American Canine Hepatozoonosis Causes Multifocal Periosteal Proliferation on CT: A Case Report of 4 Dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Four dogs were diagnosed with American canine hepatozoonosis (ACH) after showing symptoms like fever, muscle wasting, and severe pain in their muscles and joints. A special imaging test called a CT scan revealed unusual bone growths near their muscles, which helped confirm the diagnosis. While diagnosing ACH can be tricky, recognizing these specific bone changes on a CT scan can help veterinarians identify the disease more easily. Treatment options were not detailed, but early diagnosis is crucial for managing ACH effectively.
People also search for: dog fever muscle wasting treatment · canine hepatozoonosis symptoms · CT scan for dog bone growths
Abstract
American canine hepatozoonosis (ACH) represents an important but relatively uncommon differential diagnosis in a dog with fever, muscle wasting, profound leukocytosis, and/or musculoskeletal pain. Despite this, obtaining a definitive diagnosis can prove difficult. Peripheral blood smears and whole-blood polymerase chain reaction (PCR) rely on rare parasitemia, and the gold standard diagnostic test (skeletal muscle biopsy) is uncommonly pursued due to its invasive and costly nature. Demonstration of characteristic periosteal proliferative lesions aids diagnosis. The lesions typically involve the more proximal long bones of the appendicular skeleton. The periosteal proliferation is of currently unknown pathogenesis, but its distribution is characteristic of this disease with few differential diagnoses. This case series describes the findings on computed tomography (CT) in 4 dogs with PCR- or cytologically-confirmed. All dogs had multifocal, bilaterally asymmetric, irregularly marginated, non-destructive, non-articular, periosteal proliferative lesions. Recognition of this unusual CT finding and awareness of this disease could assist in the diagnosis and subsequent treatment of dogs with ACH and may offer an additional indication for CT in cases of fever, muscle wasting, and myalgia.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35573416/