Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Using ultrasound to diagnose lung problems in dogs and cats
By Linta, N et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2017·Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: The feasibility of contrast enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in the diagnosis of non-cardiac thoracic disorders of dogs and cats.
Plain-English summary
This study looked at how well a special imaging technique called Contrast Enhanced Ultrasonography (CEUS) can help diagnose lung and chest issues in dogs and cats that aren't related to heart problems. Researchers examined 40 animals, including 28 dogs and 12 cats, with various lung and chest conditions, such as tumors and infections. They found that CEUS could clearly show the edges of these problems and help identify areas that were dead or damaged, which is important for taking accurate samples for testing. The results suggest that using CEUS can improve the chances of getting useful information from biopsies and cytology samples. Overall, CEUS appears to be a helpful tool for diagnosing non-cardiac thoracic disorders in pets.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study describes the feasibility of Contrast Enhanced Ultrasonography (CEUS) in the diagnostic work-up of non-cardiac thoracic disorders of small animals. The second aim is to assess the usefulness of CEUS as a direct guide for sample procedures. RESULTS: Forty animals, 28 dogs and 12 cats, were included in the study. Thoracic disorders included 23 pulmonary lesions [primary carcinoma (14), lymphoma (1), sarcoma (1), histiocytic sarcoma (1), abscess (1) and pneumonia (5)] and 17 mediastinal lesions [lymphoma (8), thymoma (3), mesothelioma (1), melanoma (1), carcinomatous lymphadenopathy (1), mixsosarcoma (1), lipoma (1), and abscess (1)]. The majority of neoplastic pulmonary lesions showed an inhomogeneous distribution of contrast medium, whereas inflammatory lesions had a homogenous distribution with typical pulmonary vessels ramification. The majority of mediastinal malignant lesions showed an inhomogeneous distribution pattern. The lung and mediastinal abscesses had peripheral enhancement of the wall with an avascular center. All cytological and biopsy samples obtained after CEUS were diagnostic. Quantitative analysis, performed in 19/23 pulmonary lesions, showed a statistically significant difference (P < 0.0001) between the arrival time of the malignant (7.27 s - range 4.46-13.52 s) and benign (4.52 s - range 2.87-6.06 s) pulmonary lesions. CONCLUSIONS: CEUS may be a useful tool for the evaluation of non-cardiac thoracic lesions. The contrast medium allows for the precise definition of lesion edges, the presence of necrotic areas, and the distribution of pulmonary vessels. Based on our preliminary results, the use of ultrasonographic contrast medium can be recommended for improving the diagnostic usefulness of cytology and biopsy sampling, because CEUS may help to define necrotic areas from viable tissue.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28545570/