Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Ultrasound often misses but can confirm aortic problems in dogs
By Merhavi, Nadav et al.·Published in The Veterinary record·2020·The Koret School of Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Ultrasonography is insensitive but specific for detecting aortic wall abnormalities in dogs infected with.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 40 dogs with gastrointestinal issues underwent both an endoscopy and an abdominal ultrasound to check for a parasitic infection called spirocercosis. The ultrasound showed that 9 out of 20 dogs with esophageal nodules had irregularities in their blood vessel walls, compared to just 1 out of 20 healthy dogs. While the ultrasound wasn't very sensitive for detecting this infection, finding these irregularities could suggest that the parasite is present and migrating. This information can help veterinarians in diagnosing and treating affected dogs.
People also search for: dog gastrointestinal problems · spirocercosis symptoms in dogs · dog ultrasound for parasites
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Spirocercosis is caused by the nematode(). The disease mainly affects dogs and is typically diagnosed by oesophagoscopy or faecal examination; however, these diagnostic tests may deliver false negative results during the migration phase of the nematode. The aim of the present prospective study was to evaluate whether ultrasonography could detect abnormalities in the abdominal aorta, celiac artery, and gastric wall structure as a diagnostic aid to detectinfection in dogs. METHODS: Oesophagoscopy and a focused abdominal ultrasound scan were performed in 40 dogs that presented to the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, with gastrointestinal complaints. Ultrasonography scan findings of 20 dogs with oesophageal nodules, indicatinginfection (study group), were compared with those of 20 control dogs. RESULTS: Vascular wall irregularity was significantly more common in the study group than in the control group (9/20 v 1/20, respectively; P=0.008). CONCLUSION: Ultrasonographic evaluation of the abdominal aorta, celiac artery, and gastric wall structure is not a sensitive diagnostic marker for spirocercosis in dogs. However, the presence of vascular wall irregularity of the abdominal aorta or celiac artery might indicatemigration.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32759378/