COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHIC FEATURES OF BASIHYOID ECTOPIC THYROID CARCINOMA IN DOGS

Eight dogs with a firm, nonpainful swelling in the ventral laryngeal region and with a final diagnosis of ectopic thyroid carcinoma were investigated by Computed Tomography (CT) at six different institutions. Computed Tomography findings were reviewed, focusing on lesion volume, shape, margins, relationship with surrounding structures and adjacent vessels, attenuation characteristics, and presence of metastases. Ectopic thyroid carcinomas were seen as oval‐to‐bilobed masses centered on the basihyoid bone with associated bone lysis, highly vascularized capsules with central poorly contrast enhancing areas. In all cases there was laryngeal wall infiltration, in two dogs invasion of the laryngeal lumen and in one case invasion of the ventral muscular and subcutaneous plane. Metastases were found in retropharyngeal lymph nodes (three cases) and in the lung (two cases). Ectopic thyroid carcinoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis when a mass in the basihyoid region is present. Described CT features may be typical for ectopic thyroid neoplasia and could be used to help decide the therapeutic plan.     

Migration of retrobulbar wooden foreign body between diagnostic imaging and surgical extraction in a German shepherd dog

A 2‐year‐old, male castrated German shepherd dog was presented to the University of Tennessee Veterinary Medical Center (UTVMC) with periorbital swelling and conjunctival mucopurulent discharge 2 days following removal of a twig from the medial canthus by the owner. Diagnostic imaging was pursued due to the suspicion of a retrobulbar foreign body (FB). A cylindrical FB approximately 3.0 cm in length and 1.0 cm in diameter with concentric rings, suspected to be wooden material, was identified on computed tomography (CT) imaging. An attempt to remove the FB via a stab incision using ultrasound guidance was unsuccessful, and postmanipulation ultrasound confirmed the FB position was unchanged. An exploratory orbitotomy was performed, using the acquired CT images for guidance in locating the FB; however, the FB was not present at the predicted site. The CT imaging was repeated and showed that the FB had migrated rostrally approximately 3.0 cm, compared to the originally acquired study and its same location during attempted ultrasound‐guided removal. A combination of CT‐guided needle placement and contrast injection was then used with repeat imaging in an attempt to better localize the FB and its soft tissue tract. The dog was taken back into the operating room, and the wooden FB was successfully removed.     

COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY OF THE LLAMA HEAD: TECHNIQUE AND NORMAL ANATOMY

Computed tomography was performed on the head of 6 normal adult llamas. The animals were under general anesthesia and positioned in dorsal recumbency on the scanning table. The area scanned was from the external occipital protuberance to the rostral portion of the nasal passage, and the images are presented in both a bone window and a soft tissue window to allow evaluation and identification of the anatomy of the head. Computed tomography of the llama head can be accomplished by most computed tomography scanners utilizing a technique similar to that used in small animals with minor modification of the scanning table.     

螺旋CT在判断胃肠道穿孔部位中的价值

目的探讨螺旋CT在胃肠道穿孔定位诊断中的价值。方法对32例手术证实成人胃肠道穿孔病人进行回顾性分析。结果32例患者中,胃、十二指肠球部穿孔20例,十二指肠腹膜后段穿孔1例,空回肠穿孔6例,阑尾穿孔3例,结肠穿孔2例。提示穿孔部位CT征象有:气腹、腹膜腔及腹膜后间隙积液、穿孔部位局限性肠壁增厚和周围脂肪间隙模糊。结论螺旋CT不仅能确定有无胃肠道穿孔,而且能初步判断其穿孔部位。其中局限性肠壁增厚及周围脂肪间隙密度增高、邻近腹腔、腹膜后间隙积液为诊断穿孔部位较为特异性征象。     

Unilateral external jugular vein aneurysm in a dog

An 11-month-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier was referred with a two-month history of fluctuating unilateral jugular groove swelling, which appeared to enlarge after exercise. There was no history of trauma. Multimodal imaging findings (using transdermal and transesophageal ultrasound and dual phase computed tomography angiography) were consistent with large, saccular, left jugular vein aneurysm, running parallel to the left carotid artery. There did not appear to be any arteriovenous communication present. There were no cardiac abnormalities found on echocardiography. Following surgical excision, histopathological analysis supported the clinical suspicion of a congenital external jugular venous aneurysm.     

RADIOGRAPHIC AND COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHIC EVALUATION OF THE CANINE INTERCONDYLAR FOSSA IN NORMAL STIFLES AND AFTER NOTCHPLASTY IN STABLE AND UNSTABLE STIFLES

The role of the intercondylar fossa in cranial cruciate ligament injury has gained notable attention in humans and it's role is now being questioned in animals. Controversy exists regarding the accuracy of radiographs and computed tomography (CT) in evaluating the intercondylar fossa. This study compared radiographic and CT evaluation with gross evaluation of the intercondylar fossa. Six greyhounds were evaluated before notchplasty, immediately after notchplasty and 6 months after notchplasty in stable and unstable stifles. A fossa width index was used for comparison because it negates the effects of patient size and radiographic magnification. The fossa width index is calculated by dividing the width of the intercondylar fossa by the total condylar width.
The fossa width indices of dogs determined from radiographs and CT were not significantly different before notchplasty except for the cranial fossa width indices which were more inconsistent and tended to underestimate the size when compared to gross measurements. At six months, both stable and unstable stifles had refilling of the notchplasty, but the unstable stifles had significantly greater refilling resulting in no significant enlargement in intercondylar fossa size as compared to the prenotchplasty size. Osteophytes that occurred within the intercondylar fossa were less radiopaque and more easily visualized by computed tomography. Computed tomography provided several advantages, including clearer visualization of the intercondylar fossa, avoiding superimposition of the intercondylar fossa by caudal thigh muscles or tuber ischii and the ability to analyze the cranial and caudal components of the intercondylar fossa separately.     

Conservative Management of a Cervical Vertebral Fracture in a Gelding

The presentation, diagnostic evaluation, treatment, and 5 years follow-up of a 12-year-old Arabian-Saddlebred cross gelding with neck pain and stiffness, attributable to a fracture of the third cervical vertebrae (C3), is described. Initial cervical spinal radiographs revealed a concave defect in the ventral aspect of the cranial end plate of C3. However, both this finding and ultrasonographic imaging of the area were inconclusive for a fracture. Nuclear scintigraphy revealed that the lesion was metabolically active, prompting computed tomographic imaging that revealed a fracture of C3. Sequential radiographs documented progressive fusion of C2-C3 and no neurological deficits developed over the 5 years after the injury. Cervical vertebral injuries in horses can lead to various clinical signs including ataxia, weakness, and neck stiffness or pain. Diagnosis with cervical radiographs alone can be challenging and, in some cases as the horse in this report, multiple imaging modalities may be required to establish a definitive diagnosis. Horses without neurological signs may recover successfully with conservative medical management, which was performed in this case.