TITLE:
Novel Technique of Multislice CT Angiography for Diagnosis of Portosystemic Shunts in Sedated Dogs
AUTHORS:
Merja R. Laitinen, Jodi S. Matheson, Robert T. O’Brien
KEYWORDS:
Dog; Portosystemic Shunt; Computed Tomography; Angiography
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Veterinary Medicine,
Vol.3 No.2,
June
6,
2013
ABSTRACT: Diagnosing portosystemic shunts (PSS) can
be challenging in veterinary patients. Multiple imaging techniques have been
described to diagnose PSS. The aim of the study was to investigate whether a
novel multi-slice computed tomography (CT) angiographic protocol could be used
for diagnosis of PSS in dogs utilizing only patient sedation and without the
need of test injection. Independent, blinded reviewers evaluated CT studies in
a randomized order for study quality, shunt presence, number, and location of
shunt origin and termination. Twenty two confirmed dogs were included in the
study including 16 dogs with single extrahepatic congenital PSS, one dog with
single intrahepatic congenital PSS, and two dogs with multiple acquired PSS.
Three of the dogs (3/22) were surgically and histologically confirmed free of
shunts. Final diagnosis was confirmed by surgery or necropsy. The new CT angiography
protocol was shown to be diagnostic in dogs with PSS with no need for general
anesthesia, test injections, delay times or timing determinations. Specificity
and sensitivity were good (100%). The quality of the studies was considered good in the
majority of cases (20/22). The amount of motion artifact in the CT scans was
minimal, and had no effect on the diagnostic quality. The CT protocol was found
to be a useful, fast, and accurate tool for diagnosing portosystemic shunts
with a 16-slice system.