Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
CT scan features and survival in West Highland white terriers
By Thierry, Florence et al.·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2017·Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and Roslin Institute, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Further characterization of computed tomographic and clinical features for staging and prognosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in West Highland white terriers.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 21 West Highland white terriers diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (a serious lung disease) underwent CT scans to assess the severity of their condition. The scans revealed that the more severe the lung changes seen on the CT, the worse the clinical symptoms the dogs showed, and the shorter their survival time after diagnosis. The most common CT finding was a ground-glass pattern in the lungs, indicating mild disease. This study suggests that CT scans can help veterinarians better understand the severity of lung disease in these dogs and provide important information about their prognosis.
People also search for: West Highland white terrier lung disease · idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis symptoms · CT scan for dog lung problems
Abstract
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is an interstitial lung disease of unknown etiology resulting in progressive interstitial fibrosis, with a known predilection in West Highland white terriers. In humans, computed tomography (CT) is a standard method for providing diagnostic and prognostic information, and plays a major role in the idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis staging process. Objectives of this retrospective, analytical, cross-sectional study were to establish descriptive criteria for reporting CT findings and test correlations among CT, clinical findings and survival time in West Highland white terriers with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Inclusion criteria for affected West Highland white terriers were a diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and available CT, bronchoscopy, bronchoalveolar lavage, echocardiography, and routine blood analysis findings. Clinically normal West Highland white terriers were recruited for the control group. Survival times were recorded for affected dogs. The main CT lung pattern and clinical data were blindly and separately graded as mild, moderate, or severe. Twenty-one West Highland white terriers with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and 11 control West Highland white terriers were included. The severity of pulmonary CT findings was positively correlated with severity of clinical signs (ρ = 0.48, P = 0.029) and negatively associated with survival time after diagnosis (ρ = -0.56, P = 0.025). Affected dogs had higher lung attenuation (median: -563 Hounsfield Units (HU)) than control dogs (median: -761 HU), (P < 0.001). The most common CT characteristics were ground-glass pattern (16/21) considered as a mild degree of severity, and focal reticular and mosaic ground-glass patterns (10/21) considered as a moderate degree of severity. Findings supported the use of thoracic CT as a method for characterizing idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in West Highland white terriers and providing prognostic information for owners.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28335088/