Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
CT scan signs of colonic torsion in five dogs with surgery
By Barge, Pablo et al.·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2020·Diagnostic Imaging Department, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: CT findings in five dogs with surgically confirmed colonic torsion.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old mixed-breed dog was brought in for vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, which turned out to be a serious condition called colonic torsion. This happens when the colon twists, cutting off blood supply and potentially leading to severe complications. The vet used a CT scan to identify the problem, noting signs like a "whirl sign" and distension of the colon. During surgery, the vet found that three dogs had partial torsion and two had complete torsion with significant damage to the colon. Treatment involved surgery to correct the torsion, and the dogs were monitored closely for recovery.
People also search for: dog vomiting diarrhea · colonic torsion in dogs · dog abdominal pain treatment
Abstract
Colonic torsion is a life-threatening condition that results in colonic ischemia, necrosis, perforation, sepsis, and eventual death. The aim of this multicenter, retrospective case series study was to describe the CT findings in dogs with surgically confirmed colonic torsion. Medical records were searched for dogs with surgically confirmed colonic torsion following abdominal CT. Five dogs met the inclusion criteria. Three had a history of chronic intermittent diarrhea prior to presentation. Two dogs presented with acute vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain and one dog presented with acute vomiting and lethargy. Computed tomographic findings in all dogs with surgically confirmed colonic torsion include: "whirl sign," displacement and distension of the cecum and colon, focal narrowing of the colon, and distension of the mesenteric vasculature in all dogs (5/5); streaky peritoneal fat and peritoneal effusion (4/5), pneumatosis coli (2/5), small intestinal distension (2/5), portal vein thrombosis (1/5), and reduced colonic wall contrast enhancement (1/5). In all dogs (5/5), the torsion site was the descending colon and demonstrated an anticlockwise rotation. At surgery, three of the five dogs had a partial colonic torsion with hyperemia at the site of obstruction and two of the five dogs had a complete torsion with marked necrosis of the colonic wall. Displacement of the colon and cecum, segmental distension and focal narrowing of the colon, the presence of a "whirl sign" and distension of the mesenteric vasculature are CT findings highly suggestive of colonic torsion.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31837190/