Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Using contrast ultrasound to diagnose prostate disease in dogs
By Vignoli, M et al.·Published in Reproduction in domestic animals = Zuchthygiene·2011·Veterinary Clinic dell'Orologio, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Assessment of vascular perfusion kinetics using contrast-enhanced ultrasound for the diagnosis of prostatic disease in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with prostate issues underwent a special ultrasound test to check blood flow in the prostate. Out of 36 dogs, some had normal prostates, while others had conditions like benign prostatic hyperplasia (an enlargement of the prostate), prostatitis (inflammation), or even prostate cancer. The ultrasound showed that dogs with cancer had different blood flow patterns compared to healthy dogs, which might help vets tell the difference between benign and malignant prostate problems. However, more research is needed to confirm these findings and improve diagnosis.
People also search for: dog prostate problems ultrasound · signs of prostate cancer in dogs · treatment for dog prostatitis
Abstract
Vascular perfusion was assessed in 10 dogs without prostatic abnormalities and 26 dogs with prostatic disease using contrast-enhanced ultrasound. The time to reach peak contrast intensity (TTP) and peak perfusion intensity (PPI) were measured, and histological biopsies were collected from each dog. Biopsies confirmed normal prostate (n = 10), benign prostatic hyperplasia (n = 11), mixed benign pathology (n = 9), prostatitis (n = 1), prostatic malignancy [adenocarcinoma (n = 4); leiomyosarcoma (n = 1)]. In normal dogs, mean PPI was 16.8% ± 5.8 SD, and mean TTP was 33.6 ± 6.4 s. Benign conditions overall were not statistically different from normal dogs (p > 0.05); for benign prostatic hyperplasia, mean PPI was 16.9 ± 3.8%, and mean TTP was 26.2 ± 5.8 s; for mixed benign pathology mean PPI was 14.8 ± 7.8%, and mean TTP was 31.9 ± 9.7 s; for prostatitis, PPI was 14.2%, and TTP was 25.9 s. The malignant conditions overall had perfusion values that differed from the normal dogs (p < 0.05), although evaluation of the data for individual malignancies did not demonstrate a consistent trend; for adenocarcinomas, the PPI was numerically higher with a mean of 23.7 ± 1.9%, and the mean TTP was 26.9 ± 4.8 s, whilst for the dog with leiomyosarcoma values were numerically lower with a PPI of 14.1% and TTP of 41.3 s. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound appears to offer some ability to document differences in perfusion that may differentiate between malignant and benign lesions, although studies with larger numbers of animals are required to confirm this contention.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20546182/