Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Ultrasound signs of gastrointestinal lymphoma in 15 dogs
By Frances, M et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2013·Department of Radiology, Australia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Sonographic features of gastrointestinal lymphoma in 15 dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 15 dogs with gastrointestinal lymphoma (a type of cancer affecting the digestive system) underwent abdominal ultrasounds to check for signs of the disease. Surprisingly, 4 of the dogs showed no abnormalities on the ultrasound, while the others had varying signs like thickened intestinal walls. Common symptoms like weight loss, vomiting, and diarrhea were not frequently observed, making it hard to identify the condition based solely on these signs. This highlights that even if an ultrasound looks normal, lymphoma should still be considered as a possible diagnosis.
People also search for: dog gastrointestinal lymphoma symptoms · dog ultrasound results normal · dog weight loss vomiting diarrhea
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to describe the sonographic appearance of lymphoma of the gastrointestinal tract in dogs. METHOD: A retrospective review was conducted and patients with gastrointestinal lymphoma diagnosed by histopathology (including immunohistochemistry, where available) or cytology that had an abdominal ultrasound were included. RESULTS: Four of 15 (26·7%) cases with histopathologically confirmed lymphoma exhibited no sonographic abnormalities. In the dogs with sonographic abnormalities, features including intestinal wall thickness and the presence or absence of wall layering were highly variable. Clinical signs pertaining to the gastrointestinal tract were also unreliable markers of gastrointestinal lymphoma, with weight loss, vomiting, and diarrhoea being uncommon presenting complaints; intestinal obstruction was not present in any patient. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The sonographic appearance of gastrointestinal lymphoma in dogs is non-specific. Gastrointestinal lymphoma in dogs should be maintained as a differential diagnosis despite a sonographically normal appearing bowel.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23888986/