Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Canine and feline emphysematous gastritis may be differentiated from gastric emphysema based on clinical and imaging characteristics: Five cases.
- Journal:
- Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association
- Year:
- 2019
- Authors:
- Thierry, Florence et al.
- Affiliation:
- The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and Roslin Institute · United Kingdom
Plain-English summary
This study looked at five pets, three dogs and two cats, that had a condition called gastric pneumatosis, which means there was gas in the wall of their stomachs. Some of these animals showed serious symptoms like being very tired, vomiting blood, and having low red blood cell counts, while others had mild stomach issues or no symptoms at all. The pets with serious symptoms were euthanized because their health worsened and were found to have a dangerous condition called emphysematous gastritis (a severe inflammation of the stomach). On the other hand, the two dogs that were not showing serious symptoms improved with medical treatment without needing antibiotics, suggesting they had a less serious condition known as gastric emphysema. Overall, the study suggests that it's important to look at both clinical signs and imaging results to tell the difference between these two conditions.
Abstract
Gastric pneumatosis is an imaging finding defined as the presence of gas foci in the gastric wall. In humans, this imaging feature can result from one of two separate clinical entities: life-threatening emphysematous gastritis or clinically benign gastric emphysema. This retrospective case series study describes the clinical and imaging features in five animals diagnosed with spontaneous gastric pneumatosis without gastric dilatation-volvulus. Three canine and two feline cases of spontaneous gastric pneumatosis were identified on radiographic and ultrasonographic examinations. In addition to gastric pneumatosis, one dog and two cats presented concomitant systemic signs such as lethargy, hematemesis, anemia, or leukocytosis. Two dogs remained asymptomatic or presented mild gastrointestinal signs. Portal gas was described in two dogs and one cat, and pneumoperitoneum in one dog. These features were not considered clinically significant. The dog and two cats with systemic signs were euthanized due to clinical deterioration and diagnosed with emphysematous gastritis. The gastric pneumatosis of both dogs without systemic signs resolved while on medical management without antibiotic therapy. These latter cases were interpreted as consistent with gastric emphysema. Findings from the current study indicated that gastric pneumatosis can occur without gastric dilatation-volvulus in cats and dogs and that a combination of clinical and imaging characteristics may help to differentiate between potentially life-threatening emphysematous gastritis and relatively benign gastric emphysema. More studies are needed to determine the etiology and risk factors associated with these conditions.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30311329/