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Pancreas
- Authors: Silke Hecht and Matt Baron
- From: BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Ultrasonography
- Item: Chapter 12, pp 140 - 146
- DOI: 10.22233/9781910443118.12
- Copyright: © 2011 British Small Animal Veterinary Association
- Publication Date: January 2011
Abstract
As clinical signs of pancreatic disease are variable and often non-specific, evaluation of the pancreas should form part of every complete abdominal ultrasonographic examination. Specific indications include: anorexia; weight loss; vomiting; diarrhoea; abdominal pain; palpable abdominal mass; therapy resistant diabetes mellitus; hypoglycaemia; and icterus. This chapter explains the value of ultrasonography compared with radiography and computed tomography. Imaging technique and normal ultrasonographic appearance are covered, together with diffuse disease and focal lesions. This chapter contains five video clips.
Pancreas, Page 1 of 1
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Normal pancreas (dog).
Clip of the pancreas in a normal dog (4-year-old Miniature Schnauzer). The transducer was placed on the right cranial abdomen in transverse orientation. The right lobe of the pancreas is visualized as a triangular structure of medium echogenicity, immediately adjacent to the duodenum. The pancreaticoduodenal vein appears as circular anechoic structure in the centre of the pancreas. The authors would like to thank Dr George Henry (University of Tennesse) for his assistance with video post-processing and editing.
Normal pancreas (cat).
Clip of the pancreas in a normal cat (12-year-old Burmese). The transducer was placed on the mid-cranial abdomen in transverse orientation. Immediately caudal to the stomach, the left lobe of the pancreas (LL) is indistinctly visible as a homogeneous organ of medium echogenicity, with a centrally located thin anechoic tubular structure representing the pancreatic duct (PD). Vascular landmarks include the portal vein (PV) and splenic vein (SV). The authors would like to thank Dr George Henry (University of Tennesse) for his assistance with video post-processing and editing.
Insulinoma.
Clip of an endocrine pancreatic tumour (insulinoma) in a 16-year-old West Highland White Terrier presented with a history of trembling, seizures and hypoglycaemia (same case as shown in Figure 12.9). The transducer was placed on the right cranial abdomen in transverse orientation. A hypoechoic nodule (‘mass’), approximately 8 mm in diameter, with few hyperechoic shadowing foci is visualized in close proximity to the descending duodenum. The authors would like to thank Dr George Henry (University of Tennesse) for his assistance with video post-processing and editing.
Acute pancreatitis in a dog.
Clip of acute pancreatitis in an 11-year-old Jack Russell Terrier presented with a history of recent onset vomiting and abdominal pain. The transducer was initially placed in transverse orientation on the right cranial abdomen and then turned into a sagittal orientation. The right lobe (RL) of the pancreas seen next to the descending duodenum (DUOD) is thickened, diffusely hypoechoic and surrounded by hyperattenuating fat. Focal abdominal effusion (EFF) is also present. The duodenum contains a small amount of fluid and shows decreased peristalsis during the examination. On sagittal images the pancreas has a ‘tiger stripe’ appearance, consistent with pancreatic oedema secondary to pancreatitis. The authors would like to thank Dr George Henry (University of Tennesse) for his assistance with video post-processing and editing.
Chronic pancreatitis in a cat.
Clip of chronic pancreatitis in a 16-year-old Domestic Shorthaired cat. The transducer was placed on the mid-cranial abdomen in transverse orientation. Vascular landmarks include the portal vein (PV) and splenic vein (SV). The pancreas is more conspicuous than in a normal cat (compare with Normal pancreas (cat) clip). The left lobe (LL) and body (B) of the pancreas are hypoechoic in comparison with the surrounding mesenteric fat and have irregular margins. The left lobe of the pancreas is thickened and the pancreatic duct (PD) is irregularly dilated (up to 0.25 cm). The authors would like to thank Dr George Henry (University of Tennesse) for his assistance with video post-processing and editing.