Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Laparoscopic ultrasound finds more liver lesions in dogs than regular
By Solari, Francesca P et al.·Published in American journal of veterinary research·2025·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Laparoscopic ultrasonography identifies more liver lesions in dogs compared to transabdominal ultrasonography.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with liver disease underwent two types of ultrasound to check for liver lesions: a standard transabdominal ultrasound (TUS) and a laparoscopic ultrasound (LUS) during a biopsy procedure. The laparoscopic method found significantly more lesions—28 additional ones in five dogs that the standard method missed. This suggests that LUS is more effective for spotting liver problems and can help guide biopsies of lesions that aren't visible during surgery. Using LUS could lead to better diagnosis and treatment options for dogs with liver issues.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To describe the use of laparoscopic ultrasound (LUS) for evaluation of the liver in dogs with clinical liver disease and to compare the findings of LUS to transabdominal ultrasound (TUS). METHODS: 8 client-owned dogs presenting for laparoscopic liver biopsies due to clinical liver disease were enrolled. All dogs underwent TUS, and liver lesions were identified, localized, and quantified per presumed liver lobe. Laparoscopic examination and LUS of the liver were performed, and liver lesions were identified, localized, and quantified. Laparoscopic liver biopsies were obtained and submitted for histopathological analysis, copper analysis, and culture and susceptibility. RESULTS: The median time to perform hepatobiliary TUS was 10 minutes (IQR, 7.5 to 12 minutes), and the median time to perform LUS and laparoscopic examination of the liver was 19.5 minutes (IQR, 17.8 to 23.5 minutes). The number of lesions identified on LUS versus TUS was significantly different, with 5 dogs having an additional 28 lesions identified on LUS that were not found on TUS. The diameter of lesions identified on TUS and LUS ranged from 0.3 to 4.5 cm and 0.1 to 4.1 cm, respectively. In 2 dogs, LUS was used to guide the biopsy of liver lesions that were not grossly appreciable on laparoscopic examination. CONCLUSIONS: LUS identifies more liver lesions compared to TUS and can be used to guide the biopsy of lesions that are not grossly appreciable laparoscopically. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: LUS should be considered when staging patients with hepatobiliary neoplasia and may result in the identification of additional liver lesions missed on preoperative imaging.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40118025/