Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How CT scans help diagnose bleeding in dogs' bellies
By Parry, Megan E et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary emergency and critical care (San Antonio, Tex. : 2001)·2023·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Retrospective evaluation of the diagnostic utility of computed tomography in dogs with nontraumatic hemoperitoneum: 26 cases (2015-2020).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 26 dogs with spontaneous bleeding in the abdomen (hemoperitoneum) underwent a special scan called a CT to help determine if the cause was cancerous or not. The scans showed that most of the lesions were malignant (cancerous), but the CT results were not very reliable for distinguishing between benign (non-cancerous) and malignant lesions. Two radiologists reviewed the scans, but their accuracy varied, especially in identifying benign cases. Ultimately, the study suggests that CT scans should not be solely relied upon to predict the outcome before surgery; instead, the final diagnosis should come from examining the tissue after surgery.
People also search for: dog abdominal bleeding causes · CT scan for dog tumors · dog hemoperitoneum treatment
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To describe the appearance of lesions noted on abdominal computed tomography (CT) in dogs with spontaneous hemoperitoneum and determine the utility in using CT to differentiate benign from malignant lesions. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. SETTING: Single-center, university veterinary teaching emergency service. ANIMALS: Twenty-six dogs presented between 2015 and 2020 with spontaneous hemoperitoneum confirmed via abdominocentesis with pre- and postcontrast abdominal CT performed prior to surgery or euthanasia. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: On histopathological diagnosis, 20 of 26 lesions were found to be malignant, and 6 of 26 were benign. Two radiologists reviewed the CTs. Radiologist 1 correctly identified 5 of 6 (83.3%) benign cases and 18 of 20 (90%) malignant cases. Radiologist 2 correctly identified 2 of 6 (33.3%) benign lesions and 18 of 20 (90%) malignant cases. Of the 10 imaging descriptors evaluated, none were significantly associated with the histological diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Results from the current study suggest that abdominal CT imaging of spontaneous hemoperitoneum cases is not a reliable indicator of malignancy versus benignancy. As such, prognosis should not be defined using this modality alone prior to emergency surgery and instead should be concluded based on the clinical course of the patient and histopathological findings of the resected tissues after surgery.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37436906/