Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with swollen belly diagnosed with kidney torsion
By Serra, Miguel et al.·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2025·Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Diagnosis and Treatment of Renal Torsion in a Dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 4-year-old female spayed dog was brought in because her belly was swollen. Despite normal blood tests, a CT scan showed that her right kidney was severely enlarged and twisted, along with some complications in her blood vessels. The vet performed surgery to remove the affected kidney, and the dog recovered well. This case highlights a rare condition called renal torsion, but thankfully, the dog has a great long-term outlook after treatment.
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Abstract
A 4-year-old female spayed dog was presented with increased abdominal volume. Physical examination and blood work were unremarkable.Computed tomography (CT) revealed a fluid-filled abdominal mass consistent with an extremely enlarged and distorted right kidney, torsion of the renal vascular pedicle, prerenal caudal vena cava thrombosis, and distal stenosis of the right ureter. Renal torsion was confirmed on surgery. Patient recovered well from nephrectomy and had an excellent long-term prognosis. This is the first report of renal pedicle torsion in a dog. Lack of relevant clinical signs combined with CT identification of a twisted renal pedicle, extreme hydronephrosis, and renal fibrous atrophy on histopathology supported a diagnosis of chronic renal torsion.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41241784/