Today’s case is a 14-year-old Terrier with diabetes, who is now vomiting. Take a look and post your interpretation in the comments section.
Teaching and learning about veterinary diagnostic imaging.
Today’s case is a 14-year-old Terrier with diabetes, who is now vomiting. Take a look and post your interpretation in the comments section.
The pylorus appears mildly enlarged on the lateral projection and is filled with fluid and granular material. The small intestine is uniform in diameter.
There are several irregular gas lucencies in the urinary bladder, best seen on the lateral projection. No calculi are visible. The kidneys are normal in size and shape.
Emphysematous cystitis is commonly associated with diabetics since the glucose in the urine forms a hospitable environment for gas-producing bacteria. On ultrasound, there were multiple polyps associated with the dependent mucosa. Gas was visible in the bladder wall and free in the lumen. The urine culture resulted in growth of two types of hemolytic E. coli.
Hello Allison.
Besides the final diagnosis, would you recommend abdominal US everytime you find a fluid filled – soft tissue opacity pylorus in the left lateral proyection? I have seen some cases in which I am suspecting obstruction at this level but abdominal US ends up being totaly normal.
Thank you
Hi Pablo,
The pylorus often looks striking when it is filled with fluid on the right lateral projection. One approach is to take a left lateral where it will fill with gas, and you can see that it is normal or whether there is foreign material or a mass. I think three view abdominal studies are optimal, it gives you all the different perspectives on the organs.
Also, what in the world is going on with the femurs in the VD projection? Thanks!
The femurs were perpendicular to the table, so they look foreshortened. Essentially we are looking straight down a tube so you see the circular femur and medullary cavity. Positioning the pelvic limbs more caudally eliminates this appearance.
Hello Allison,
Do you think there is a soft tissue silhouette overlaid with T7-T8 bodies?
Thank you!
On the lateral projection we can see the buckle from the dog’s harness superimposed over the spinous processes. On the v/d, the mediastinum is superimposed over the spine.
Hello Allison,
What do you think there is a round shaped, soft tissue opacity overlaid with T7-T8 bodies in caudodorsal lung field? Is it also the buckle from the dog`s harness?
Thank you!!!