Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Comparison of the results of abdominal ultrasonography and exploratory laparotomy in the dog and cat.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association
- Year:
- 2007
- Authors:
- Pastore, Gina E et al.
- Affiliation:
- The Queen Mother Hospital for Animals · United Kingdom
Plain-English summary
In a study involving 100 dogs and cats, researchers looked at how well abdominal ultrasounds matched up with findings from surgery. They found that in 64% of the cases, the ultrasound results agreed with what the surgeons found during the operation, which suggests that ultrasounds can be helpful for pets that might need surgery. However, there was a significant difference between the ultrasound and surgical findings in 25% of the animals. The most common issue that ultrasounds seemed to miss was gastrointestinal ulceration or perforation, which means that some serious problems might not be detected by this imaging method. Overall, while ultrasounds can be useful, they may not catch everything, so further investigation might be necessary in some cases.
Abstract
Results of preoperative ultrasonography and exploratory laparotomy were reviewed retrospectively in a series of 100 small animals to assess the agreement between ultrasonographic and surgical findings and to identify abdominal lesions likely to be missed by ultrasonography. Good agreement occurred between ultrasound reports and surgical reports in 64% of the animals, which supported the use of ultrasonography in potential surgical candidates. A major discrepancy was observed between the ultrasound report and surgical findings in 25% of the animals. Of the various types of pathology encountered in the study, gastrointestinal ulceration or perforation was the most likely lesion to be missed by ultrasonography.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17823475/