Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How well X-rays find enlarged lymph nodes under dog's abdomen
By Murphy, Megan C et al.·Published in The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne·2020·Small Animal Hospital, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of radiographs for the detection of sublumbar lymphadenopathy in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with anal gland cancer or lymphoma underwent ultrasound to check for enlarged lymph nodes in the abdomen. Out of 22 dogs, 16 had enlarged lymph nodes detected by ultrasound. Radiographs (X-rays) were also taken to see if they could identify these enlarged lymph nodes, showing varying success rates depending on the experience of the observer. While X-rays can suggest lymph node issues, they are not always reliable, so further imaging like ultrasound or CT scans is recommended for a more accurate diagnosis.
People also search for: dog anal gland cancer symptoms · dog lymphoma treatment · dog enlarged lymph nodes X-ray results
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to evaluate radiographs for the detection of sublumbar lymph node (SLN) enlargement. Ultrasound was used to determine SLN size. Twenty-two dogs with anal gland adenocarcinoma or lymphoma were prospectively included, with 16/22 having SLN enlargement on ultrasound. Twenty-one dogs without enlargement were retrospectively included as controls. Three blinded observers evaluated 43 right lateral abdominal radiographs for the presence of SLN enlargement. Sensitivity and specificity of radiographs for the detection of SLN enlargement were 81%/70%, 94%/81%, and 75%/100% for a general practitioner, imaging resident, and radiologist, respectively. Ventral displacement of the colon, a soft tissue opacity in the caudal retroperitoneal space and loss of conspicuity of the ventral margin of the iliopsoas muscle were radiographic findings significantly associated with identification (-values < 0.05). Markedly enlarged SLNs (> 21.5 mm) were consistently detected radiographically by observers with specialist imaging training. Key clinical message: Radiographic visualization should raise suspicion of neoplastic infiltration of SLN but lack of visualization does not exclude mild to moderate enlargement. Additional imaging such as ultrasound or computed tomography remains important to confirm or exclude sublumbar lymphadenopathy.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32655159/