Abstract:
Study on 'Ultrasonographic evaluation of canine hepatic disorders' was
conducted on forty eight dogs to evaluate the utility of ultrasonography as a tool for
early and better diagnosis of liver diseases and classify liver diseases based on
ultrasonographic findings.
Parameters studied were history and clinical signs, physical examination,
ultrasonography of liver, ultrasound guided biopsy, haematology and serum
biochemistry, post-mortem examination and histopathology.
Specific clinical signs noticed were ascites and icterus. Physical examination
revealed abdominal distension, yellowish discolouration of skin and hepatomegaly.
Primary liver disorders identified by ultrasound scans were haematoma,
lymphosarcoma, hepatitis due to leptospirosis, cirrhosis, fibrosis, fatty infiltration,
chronic active hepatitis, portal hypertension and portosystemic shunt. Secondary
changes noticed in liver were due to pyometra, proctitis and cholecystitis, hepatic
calcification in chronic renal failure and passive venous congestion in right sided
heart failure.
Ultrasound guided biopsy confirmed lymphosarcoma, fatty infiltration and
,
chronic active hepatitis. Histological changes in leptospirosis were chronic venous .
and sinusoidal congestion whereas ~n cirrhosis, fibrosis and pseudo lobulation were
the prominent histological change.
Alkaline phosphatase and Alanine aminotransferase levels were above normal
values in all the cases studied.
From the present study it was inferred that ultrasonography was a valuable
tool for diagnosing hepatopathies along with clinico-pathological and ultrasound
guided biopsy.
