Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Malignant tumors in dogs with one or multiple abdominal lesions
By Levinson, Joshua G et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary emergency and critical care (San Antonio, Tex. : 2001)·2009·VCA Newark Animal Hospital, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Prevalence of malignancy when solitary versus multiple lesions are detected during abdominal ultrasonographic examination of dogs with spontaneous hemoperitoneum: 31 cases (2003-2008).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with spontaneous bleeding in the abdomen (hemoperitoneum) underwent ultrasound exams that showed either one or multiple lesions. Out of 31 dogs, 10 had a single lesion, and 21 had multiple lesions. Surprisingly, the chance of finding cancer was similar in both groups, with about 80% of dogs having malignant tumors, including hemangiosarcoma, regardless of whether they had one or more lesions. This means that having just one lesion does not mean there’s a lower risk of cancer.
People also search for: dog abdominal ultrasound results · hemangiosarcoma in dogs · spontaneous hemoperitoneum treatment
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To compare the histopathologic diagnosis in dogs with spontaneous hemoperitoneum when abdominal ultrasonographic examination detects a solitary versus multiple lesions. DESIGN: Retrospective cross-sectional study. SETTING: Private veterinary hospital. ANIMALS: Client-owned dogs presented with spontaneous hemoperitoneum between March 1, 2003 and June 1, 2008. INTERVENTIONS: Dogs were divided into 2 groups based on presence of a solitary or multiple abdominal ultrasonographic lesions. Prevalences were compared between groups for malignancy and specifically hemangiosarcoma. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Ten of 31 (32%) dogs had a solitary abdominal ultrasonographic lesion and 21 of 31 (68%) had more than 1 lesion. The bleeding tissue was characterized as malignant in 8 of 10 (80%) dogs with solitary lesions and 17 of 21 (81%) dogs with multiple lesions; there was no significant difference (P=1.0) between groups. In this study no association (P=0.26) was found between the number of abdominal ultrasonographic lesions observed and subsequent diagnosis of hemangiosarcoma. CONCLUSIONS: Solitary abdominal ultrasonographic lesions in dogs with spontaneous hemoperitoneum do not necessarily indicate a lower prevalence of malignancy.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19821893/