Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How triple-phase CT helps diagnose liver tumors in dogs
By Kutara, Kenji et al.·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2014·Department of Veterinary Medicine, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Triple-phase helical computed tomography in dogs with hepatic masses.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 70 dogs with liver masses underwent a special type of CT scan to help identify the nature of their tumors before surgery. The scans revealed different patterns for various types of liver issues: most dogs with hepatocellular carcinoma (a type of liver cancer) showed a mixed appearance on the scans, while those with nodular hyperplasia (a benign condition) had a more uniform look. The CT scans helped veterinarians distinguish between these conditions, which is important for deciding the best treatment. After surgery, the dogs had their liver masses removed based on the CT findings.
People also search for: dog liver mass treatment · canine liver cancer symptoms · CT scan for dog liver tumors
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine the utility of triple-phase helical computed tomography (CT) for differentiating canine hepatic masses. Seventy dogs with hepatic masses underwent triple-phase CT followed by surgical removal of the hepatic masses. Triple-phase helical CT scans for each dog included precontrast, arterial phase, portal venous phase, and delayed phase studies. The removed hepatic masses were histopathologically classified as hepatocellular carcinoma (n = 47), nodular hyperplasia (n = 14), and hepatic metastatic tumors (n = 9) in dogs. Of the 47 hepatocellular carcinomas, the most common CT findings included a heterogeneous pattern with hyper-, iso-, and hypoenhancement in both the arterial and portal venous phases (40/47, 85.1%). Of the 14 nodular hyperplasias, the most common CT findings were a homogeneous pattern with hyper- and isoenhancement in both the portal venous and delayed phases (13/14, 92.9%). Of nine hepatic metastatic tumors, the most common CT findings included a homogeneous hypoenhancement pattern in both the arterial and portal venous phases (8/9, 88.9%). In addition, 5 (55.6%) showed homogeneous hypoenhancement patterns in the delayed phase. Findings from our study indicated that triple-phase CT is a useful tool for preoperative differentiation of hepatocellular carcinoma, nodular hyperplasia, and hepatic metastatic tumors in dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24102918/