Small Animal Radiology and Ultrasound: A Diagnostic Atlas and Text

Chapter Three The Abd omen 327
A
B
Fig. 3-92 Transverse (A) and longitudinal
(B to D) sonograms of the
pylorus of a 6-year-old Miniature
Poodle with a history of chronic gastric
distention, anemia, and
hypoproteinemia. The pylorus is
markedly thickened and irregular
(arrows). This is indicative of a focal
inflammatory or infiltrative lesion.
Diagnosis: Gastric carcinoma.
C
D
Fig. 3-93 Transverse sonograms of
the stomach of a 3-year-old male
mixed breed dog with a history of
vomiting of 3 months duration. The
gastric wall is markedly thickened.
The architecture is abnormal and the
individual layers cannot be identified.
The hyperechoic region with
the comet tail artifacts identifies the
gastric lumen and the hyperechoic
fat adjacent to the body wall identifies
the outer margin of the stomach
wall. The calipers (+) were used to
measure the gastric wall thickness,
which was 1.4 cm. This represents a
neoplastic or infectious lesion.
Diagnosis: Zygomycosis.
duodenum may be displaced laterally due to a mass effect from the inflammation, buildup
of scar tissue in the pancreatic area, or from the pancreatic mass itself. 358
In chronic pancreatitis, punctate calcifications may occur in the pancreatic area due to
saponification of mesenteric fat by pancreatic enzymes. 361 Either pancreatic tumors or
abscesses may have areas of calcification.
Ultrasonography of Pancreatic Abnormalities. The descending duodenum and right
kidney are used as landmarks to locate the right (descending) limb of the pancreas, and
the stomach is used as a landmark to locate the left (transverse) limb. 20 When the pancreas
is recognized easily as a hyperechoic structure adjacent to the stomach and duodenum,
it is probably enlarged. 12 Pancreatitis, pancreatic abscess, and pancreatic
adenocarcinoma produce similar ultrasonographic abnormalities. 356,358,362-367 In
experimental dogs, free peritoneal fluid in the pancreatic region, dilation and thickening
of the wall of the duodenum, and an inhomogeneous mass were identified 24 to 48