Cholecystectomy is the current standard recommended treatment for dogs with gallbladder mucoceles. However, medical management with monitoring has also been recommended for asymptomatic dogs. The purpose of this retrospective study was to compare ultrasonographic patterns of gallbladder mucoceles with clinical disease status in a group of dogs. For each included dog, the ultrasonographic pattern of the mucocele was classified into one of six types: type 1, immobile echogenic bile; type 2, incomplete stellate pattern; type 3, typical stellate pattern; type 4, kiwi like pattern and stellate combination; type 5, kiwi like pattern with residual central echogenic bile; and type 6, kiwi like pattern. A total of 43 dogs were included. Twenty-four dogs, including 11 dogs with gallbladder rupture, were symptomatic. Nineteen dogs were asymptomatic. Cholecystectomy (n = 19), medical therapy (n = 17), or monitoring (n = 6) treatments were applied according to clinical signs and owners' requests. One dog suspected of having gallbladder rupture was euthanized. Frequencies of gallbladder mucocele patterns were as follows: type 1 = 10 (23%), type 2 = 13 (30%), type 3 = 5 (12%), type 4 = 11 (26%), type 5 = 4 (9%), and type 6 = 0. In dogs with gallbladder rupture, type 2 (8/13) was the most common. No significant correlations were found between ultrasonographic patterns of gallbladder mucoceles and clinical disease status or gallbladder rupture. Findings indicated that ultrasonographic patterns of gallbladder mucoceles may not be valid bases for treatment recommendations in dogs.

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of applying computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) to breast ultrasound (US), depending on the reader's experience with breast imaging.MethodsBetween October 2015 and January 2016, two experienced readers obtained and analyzed the grayscale US images of 200 cases according to the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) lexicon and categories. They additionally applied CAD (S-Detect) to analyze the lesions and made a diagnostic decision subjectively, based on grayscale US with CAD. For the same cases, two inexperienced readers analyzed the grayscale US images using the BI-RADS lexicon and categories, added CAD, and came to a subjective diagnostic conclusion. We then compared the diagnostic performance depending on the reader's experience with breast imaging.ResultsThe sensitivity values for the experienced readers, inexperienced readers, and CAD (for experienced and inexperienced readers) were 91.7%, 75.0%, 75.0%, and 66.7%, respectively. The specificity values for the experienced readers, inexperienced readers, and CAD (for experienced and inexperienced readers) were 76.6%, 71.8%, 78.2%, and 76.1%, respectively. When diagnoses were made subjectively in combination with CAD, the specificity significantly improved (76.6% to 80.3%) without a change in the sensitivity (91.7%) in the experienced readers. After subjective combination with CAD, both of the sensitivity and specificity improved in the inexperienced readers (75.0% to 83.3% and 71.8% to 77.1%). In addition, the area under the curve improved for both the experienced and inexperienced readers (0.84 to 0.86 and 0.73 to 0.80) after the addition of CAD.ConclusionCAD is more useful for less experienced readers. Combining CAD with breast US led to improved specificity for both experienced and inexperienced readers.

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Shear wave elastography (SWE) induces lateral shear wave through acoustic pulses of the transducer and evaluates tissue stiffness quantitatively. This study was performed to evaluate feasibility and reproducibility of two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2D SWE) for evaluation of tissue stiffness and to examine technical factors that affect shear wave speed (SWS) measurements in adult dogs. Nine healthy, 2 yearold, adult beagles with the median weight of 9.8 kg were included. In this prospective, experimental, exploratory study, 2D SWE (Aplio 600) from the liver, spleen, kidneys, pancreas, prostate, lymph nodes (submandibular, retropharyngeal, axillary, medial iliac, and inguinal), submandibular salivary gland, and thyroid was performed in anesthetized beagles. Color map was drawn and SWS of each SWE were measured as Young's modulus (kPa) and shear wave velocity (m/s). The effect of measuring site, scan approach, depth, and anesthesia on SWE was assessed in abdominal organs by two observers independently. A total of 27 SWE examinations were performed in 12 organs by each observer. All SWS measurements were preformed successfully; however, SWE in the renal medulla could not be successfully conducted, and it was excluded from further analysis. Interobserver agreement of SWE was moderate to excellent in all organs, except for the left liver lobe at 10-15 mm depth with the intercostal scan. In the liver, there was no significant effect of the measuring site and scan approach on SWE. SWS of the liver and spleen tended to be higher with increasing the depth, but no significant difference. However, anesthesia significantly increased tissue stiffness in the spleen compared to awake dog regardless of the depth (P < 0.05). There was a significant difference in SWS according to the measuring site in the kidneys and pancreas (P < 0.001). 2D SWE was feasible and highly reproducible for the estimation of tissue stiffness in dogs. Measuring site and anesthesia are sources of variability affecting SWE in abdominal organs. Therefore, these factors should be considered during SWS measurement in 2D SWE. This study provides basic data for further studies on 2D SWE on pathological conditions that may increase tissue stiffness in dogs.

ABSTRACT. Ultrasonography is a sensitive and specific screening method for assessing the adrenal glands. The upper limit of the normal adrenal gland width is used as 7.5 mm. It is not known if adrenal gland width remains consistent with body weight. A reliable criterion of adrenal gland width in small breed dogs should be established. Small breed dogs with body weights of less than 10 kg were divided into two groups: 189 normal dogs and 22 dogs with pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism (PDH). A retrospective study was conducted on dogs seen between January 1, 2006, and February 10, 2008. One hundred eighty-nine dogs of 14 different small breeds were enrolled in the normal adrenal gland group; the median gland width was 4.20 mm. Twenty-two dogs were in the PDH group; the median gland width was 6.30 mm. The cut-off value between normal adrenal glands and PDH was 6.0 mm. This figure gave a sensitivity and specificity of 75 and 94%, respectively, for detecting PDH. The adrenal gland appeared as a peanut shape with homogeneous hypoechoic parenchyma in normal dogs and in most dogs with PDH as well. This study was performed in a large population of small breed dogs and suggests that the normal adrenal gland size in small breed dogs is smaller than previously reported. We believe that a cut-off of 6.0 mm may be used as the criterion for differentiating a normal adrenal gland from adrenal hyperplasia.KEY WORDS: adrenal gland size, PDH, small breed dog, ultrasonography.J. Vet. Med. Sci. 73(8): 985-989, 2011

We evaluated the whole body distribution of 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose (18F-FDG) in seven beagle dogs using positron emission tomography/computed tomography. The mean and maximum standard uptake values (SUV) for various tissues were computed. The SUV of the aortic blood pool was 0.65 +/- 0.19. Moderate uptake was present in brain (3.40 +/- 1.01). Mild uptake was present in orbital muscles, soft palate, laryngeal and pharyngeal region, mandibular salivary gland, myocardium, liver, pancreas, kidney, and intestine. 18F-FDG uptake would be normally higher in these tissues because of normal physiologic activity. Mean and maximum SUV values of the eye, skeletal muscle, bone tissue, spleen, adrenal gland, stomach, tongue, gall bladder, and lung were similar to or lower than that of the aortic blood pool. These data provide a normal baseline for comparing pathologic 18F-FDG uptake.

Previously, chitinase 3-like 1 (CHI3L1) protein level was increased in various inflammatory conditions and cancers. This study was aimed to evaluate the plasma CHI3L1 level as a potential prognostic biomarker for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Forty-nine patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), 61 patients with mild to severe AD, and 35 healthy elderly controls were recruited for this study. They were given a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery including a mini-mental status examination (MMSE), clinical dementia rating (CDR), and neuropsychiatric inventory (NPI). The CHI3L1 levels were measured using a specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in the plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). A significant increase in the mean plasma level of CHI3L1 was found in early AD patients compared to control subjects and MCI patients. No significant difference was found between MCI patients and controls. There was a significant positive correlation between CHI3L1 levels and neuropsychological test scores such as CDR and NPI in MCI and early AD patients. Our results demonstrate that CHI3L1 plasma levels are elevated in early AD compared to control or MCI patients. Thus, CHI3L1 plasma levels may be useful as a biomarker, reflecting disease severity in AD patients.

Standard ultrasonography is often insensitive for distinguishing normal vs. diseased states for canine abdominal organs. Ultrasonographic elastography is a new technique that is becoming increasingly available and may help to improve sensitivity. This study evaluated the feasibility, repeatability, and reproducibility of strain elastography of the liver, spleen, kidneys, and prostate in healthy dogs and described the elasticity of each organ using strain values and strain ratios. The reproducibility of strain elastography was excellent, and intraobserver repeatability was moderate to excellent. The strain value of each organ was not significantly different among dogs (liver = 143.38 ± 7.41, spleen = 141.04 ± 9.03, left renal cortex = 141.26 ± 7.50, right renal cortex = 145.80 ± 7.79, and prostate = 135.46 ± 5.80), except for the renal medulla (left = 51.19 ± 4.54 and right = 51.93 ± 5.09) (P < 0.05). The strain ratios for the liver, spleen, renal cortex, and prostate were similar with no significant difference (liver = 10.20 ± 1.47, spleen = 8.40 ± 1.53, left renal cortex = 9.62 ± 1.56, right renal cortex = 8.29 ± 1.63, and prostate = 8.20 ± 1.21), except for the renal medulla (left = 3.48 ± 0.68 and right = 2.95 ± 0.63) (P < 0.05). Our results indicated that strain elastography was feasible for estimating tissue stiffness in the canine liver, spleen, kidneys, and prostate. This study provides basic information for strain values and strain ratios for the liver, spleen, kidneys, and prostate in clinically normal dogs. C 2015 American College of Veterinary Radiology.