Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Ultrasound patterns of chest masses in 36 dogs and 24 cats
By Rick, Thorsten et al.·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2019·Department for Companion Animals and Horses·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography characteristics of intrathoracic mass lesions in 36 dogs and 24 cats.
Plain-English summary
A 7-year-old Beagle was brought in for breathing problems and coughing, leading to the discovery of an intrathoracic mass. The veterinarian used a special imaging technique called contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) to better understand the mass. This method helped differentiate between types of masses, but it was found that the sensitivity for detecting cancerous masses in the lungs was relatively low. While CEUS showed promise for characterizing these masses, further tests like cytology or biopsy were still needed for a definitive diagnosis.
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Abstract
Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) is increasingly available for veterinary patients, however limited studies describe the use of this method for characterizing intrathoracic mass lesions. The aim of this prospective, observational study was to describe CEUS enhancement patterns for intrathoracic mass lesions in a sample of cats and dogs. Sixty patients (36 dogs, 24 cats) were included. Standardized CEUS examinations were performed for 41 pulmonary masses (68%) and 19 mediastinal masses (32%). Final diagnosis was based on cytology and/or histopathology. Absolute time to enhancement (TTE) values were recorded for the intrathoracic mass lesions and spleen. The spleen was used as a reference parenchymal organ to calculate relative TTE (rTTE) values. Absolute TTE of the spleen and intrathoracic mass lesions differed for dogs and cats (P = 0.001). The rTTE values significantly differed between lesions of neoplastic versus non-neoplastic origin (P = 0.004). The majority of neoplastic pulmonary masses were supplied by bronchial arteries (63%), while most nonneoplastic pulmonary masses were supplied by pulmonary arteries (78%). The sensitivity and specificity for detecting pulmonary neoplastic masses with rTTE were 63% and 78%, respectively. Enhancement patterns for mediastinal thymomas and lymphomas significantly differed (P = 0.002). Thymomas enhanced heterogeneously in a centripetal pattern (86%), whereas lymphomas typically enhanced uniformly in a centrifugal pattern (75%). Findings indicated that CEUS is a feasible method for characterizing intrathoracic mass lesions in dogs and cats, however, the diagnostic sensitivity for detecting neoplastic pulmonary masses was low.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30475439/