Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog developed liver gas after ultrasound-guided liver biopsy
By Westgren, Frida et al.·Published in Acta veterinaria Scandinavica·2014·Department of Diagnostic Imaging·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Hepatic emphysema associated with ultrasound-guided liver biopsy in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
An 11-year-old Chinese Crested Powder Puff dog was brought in for excessive thirst, frequent urination, loss of appetite, diarrhea, and vomiting. After undergoing a liver biopsy, the dog's condition worsened two days later, showing signs of fever, difficulty breathing, unsteady movements, and swelling under the skin. X-rays and ultrasounds revealed severe gas buildup in the liver area where the biopsy was performed, likely due to a clostridial infection. Unfortunately, the dog did not survive, and a post-mortem examination confirmed severe liver damage and infection.
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Abstract
An eleven-year-old Chinese Crested Powder Puff dog presented with polydipsia/polyuria, inappetence, diarrhea and vomiting underwent an ultrasound-guided percutaneous liver biopsy. Two days post-biopsy the clinical condition of the dog acutely deteriorated with fever, dyspnea, ataxia and subcutaneous emphysema. Radiographs and ultrasound showed focal severe hepatic emphysema in the region of the previous liver biopsy. Post-mortem examination revealed chronic hepatitis with dissecting fibrosis, acute hepatitis with hemorrhage and in the hindlimb musculature extensive hemorrhage and necrosis. Pure cultures of the gas producing bacteria Clostridium perfringens were isolated in samples from the hind limb musculature. We propose that the hepatic emphysema in the region of the biopsy site was a result of a clostridial infection.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24758285/