Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association
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Vet Radiol Ultrasound · Nov 2013
Comparative StudyComparison between survey radiography, B-mode ultrasonography, contrast-enhanced ultrasonography and contrast-enhanced multi-detector computed tomography findings in dogs with acute abdominal signs.
Contrast-enhanced multi-detector computed tomography (CE-MDCT) is used routinely in evaluating human patients with acute abdominal symptoms. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) continues to be in its infancy as it relates to evaluation of the acute abdomen. The purpose of this study was to compare survey radiography, B-mode ultrasound, CEUS, and CE-MDCT findings in canine patients presenting with acute abdominal signs; with a focus on the ability to differentiate surgical from non-surgical conditions. ⋯ Accuracy for differentiation of surgical vs. non-surgical conditions was high for all modalities; 100%, 94%, and 94% for CE-MDCT, ultrasonography and survey radiography respectively. Findings indicated that CE-MDCT is an accurate screening test for differentiating surgical from non-surgical acute abdominal conditions in dogs. Focused CEUS following CE-MDCT or B-mode ultrasonography may be beneficial for identifying potentially significant hypoperfused lesions.