This is a cat who was investigated early in life on account of episodic malaise and raised bile acids. At the time a provisional diagnosis of primary hypoplasia of the portal vein was made. This is the main portal vein: The main portal vein is obviously and abnormally narrow but flow within it is hepatopetal. … Continue reading
An 18 month old crossbreed was presented with a two month history of intermittent pyrexia and malaise. Recently he had become polyuric/polydipisc and hypercalcaemia was detected. His ultrasonography is striking: This is an area of retroperitoneal fat: There are numerous small, discrete hyperechoic nodules. And the same is true for his subcutaneous fat this is … Continue reading
This amazing video shows a wave of contraction passing along a dog’s accessory pancreatic duct towards the minor papilla on the descending duodenum: With still images this is a ‘bolus’ of pancreatic juice in transit and waiting to be released into the duodenum: Little has been written about pancreatic duct function in cats and dogs. … Continue reading
This is a slightly unusual sonographic situation -a missing swab in the count up after abdominal surgery. Not quite the same as the usual scenario where swabs weren’t counted and the symptomatic patient then presents for imaging some months later. In this dog, 2 days post-op there is very little in the way of reaction … Continue reading
The last cases of Angiostrongylosis we saw in the frozen north (West Yorkshire) were following the very mild winters of the mid-noughties. So it may be no coincidence that a resurgence happens now. This is a dog from earlier in the week with positive A. vasorum serology. The pulmonary hypertension is fairly standard: This pulmonary … Continue reading
Renal infarcts in cats are common incidental findings on abdominal ultrasonography in cats. Hickey and others (2014) reviewed disease associations in cats with renal infarcts diagnosed on ultrasonography or necropsy. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24528199 A significant association with cardiomyopathy was observed. However, that doesn’t explain for me why so many cats have apparent infarcts. Certainly in our population … Continue reading
Interesting cases from this week, happily doing well at present. The first, a cat with acute vomiting and profound malaise: The first two seconds of the examination. Don’t want to jump to any conclusions but a stomach dilated to that extent raises the prospect of mechanical or functional GI obstruction. And there’s some ‘stuff’ in … Continue reading
Ultrasonography is surprisingly good as a rapid, readily available imaging modality for screening potential pneumothorax patients. Since cardiogenic pulmonary oedema, pulmonary thromboemboli, pneumonia, pleural effusions and intrathoracic neoplasia can also be detected it’s a powerful tool. The technique can be mastered by anyone with a few minutes to spare. Apply a micro-convex probe to the … Continue reading
There’s very little in the published literature about scanning the caecum in small animals -which is surprising since it is often encountered during abdominal examinations. Although dogs often have more gas in their colons and caeca, which sometimes makes it more difficult to make out, the canine caecum is also quite an elongated structure (usually … Continue reading
