Evidence-Based Advances in Rabbit Medicine

Computed tomography with Hounsfield unit assessment is useful in the diagnosis of liver lobe torsion in pet rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

“…Liver lobe torsion is a rare condition that occurs in a wide variety of species including humans, rabbits, horses, dogs, cats, and pigs 1–16 . It is commonly life‐threatening and requires surgical intervention in most species, but has also been reported as an incidental finding in rabbits 1,2,17 . Clinical signs for rabbits with liver lobe torsion are often nonspecific and typically not distinct from those seen with primary gastrointestinal stasis 1 .…”

“…The rabbit liver is composed of five lobes, including a single right, a caudate and quadrate lobe, and a left hepatic lobe divided into medial and lateral segments, 5,19 with some reports and texts describing an additional subdivision of the right liver lobe into medial and lateral segments 2,20 . The most commonly affected liver lobe in rabbits with liver lobe torsion is the caudate lobe, which is suspected to be predisposed to displacement and torsion due to its narrow, stalk‐like attachment to the hilar region of the liver 1,4,5,17 . Liver lobe torsion initially causes venous occlusion and hepatic congestion, followed by compromised arterial blood supply and hepatic necrosis, resulting in elevated liver enzymes, peritoneal effusion, and potentially hemoabdomen, shock, and death 5 .…”

“…Liver lobe torsion initially causes venous occlusion and hepatic congestion, followed by compromised arterial blood supply and hepatic necrosis, resulting in elevated liver enzymes, peritoneal effusion, and potentially hemoabdomen, shock, and death 5 . The most common reported clinical signs of liver lobe torsion in rabbits include lethargy, hyporexia or anorexia, and reduced fecal output 1–7,17 . Palpable cranial abdominal mass effect and cranial abdominal pain increase the suspicion of liver lobe torsion 1 .…”

“…Impaired vascularity of the affected liver lobe can be confirmed by lack of or decreased flow on color Doppler, and lack of perfusion on contrast‐enhanced ultrasonography compared to normal liver 1,5 . Additional sonographic findings often include free peritoneal fluid and gastrointestinal distension and stasis 1,5,6,17 . Imaging diagnosis of liver lobe torsion in rabbits is often supported by concurrent bloodwork abnormalities including liver enzyme elevation and anemia 1,17 .…”

Cardiovascular effects of increasing dosages of norepinephrine in healthy isoflurane-anesthetized New Zealand White rabbits

“…Rabbits have become increasingly popular companion animals and are frequently anesthetized for elective procedures (Summa & Brandão 2017). However, the overall anesthetic mortality (1.39e4.8%) is much higher in rabbits than in other pets, including dogs (0.17%) and cats (0.24%) (Brodbelt et al 2008;Eatwell 2014;Lee et al 2018).…”