Small Animal Radiology and Ultrasound: A Diagnostic Atlas and Text

Chapter Three The Abd omen 287
A
B
Fig. 3-37 Transverse sonograms of
the spleen (A and B), cranial
abdomen (C), and caudal abdomen
(D) of an 11-year-old Tibetan Terrier
with a history of chronic vomiting
and melena. There are oval-shaped
hypoechoic masses visible medial to
the spleen and in the caudal
abdomen (arrows). These represent
enlarged abdominal lymph nodes.
There is a focal area of increased
echo intensity in the cranial
abdomen adjacent to the body wall
(C). There is a reverberation artifact
associated with this lesion (white
arrows). This is indicative of free
intraperitoneal air. Diagnosis:
Lymphoma, intraperitoneal air secondary
to bowel perforation.
C
D
Fig. 3-38 A 3-year-old female Poodle with vomiting, anorexia, and
jaundice. There is a homogeneously stippled pattern of calcification
involving all the liver lobes. There is poor abdominal detail and minimal
soft tissue over the vertebrae consistent with cachexia. Diagnosis:
Hepatic calcification.
may not be radiographically apparent. Those that are partially or completely calcified may
be seen on noncontrast radiographs (Figs. 3-40 and 3-41). In one study of dogs with clinical
signs of cholelithiasis, 48% had radiopaque stones that could be identified on noncontrast
radiographs. 186 Usually, choleliths are not clinically significant because they rarely
obstruct the flow of bile. Gas densities may be seen within the liver parenchyma and within
and around the gallbladder and bile ducts (Figs. 3-42 to 3-44). This may be the result of
infection of the liver or gallbladder by anaerobic gas-forming organisms or, in diabetic
patients, because of infection of these structures by organisms capable of fermenting glucose
and producing carbon dioxide as a byproduct. 188-192 The linear shape of the air densities when