Ultrasonographic appearance of the major duodenal papilla in dogs without evidence of hepatobiliary, pancreatic, or gastrointestinal tract disease

Abstract

OBJECTIVE To determine the ultrasonographic appearance of the major duodenal papilla (MDP) in dogs without evidence of hepatobiliary, pancreatic, or gastrointestinal tract disease. ANIMALS 40 adult client-owned dogs examined because of conditions that did not include hepatobiliary, pancreatic, or gastrointestinal tract disease. PROCEDURES Ultrasonographic examination of the MDP was performed. Each MDP was measured in 3 planes. Intraobserver reliability of measurements was determined, and associations between MDP dimensions and characteristics of the dogs were investigated. Histologic examination of longitudinal sections of the MDP was performed for 1 dog to compare the ultrasonographic and histologic appearance. RESULTS The MDP appeared as a layered structure with a hyperechoic outer layer, hypoechoic middle layer, and hyperechoic inner layer that corresponded to the duodenal serosa, duodenal muscularis, and duodenal submucosa, respectively. Layers visible during ultrasonographic examinations were consistent with layers identified histologically. Intraobserver reliability was substantial for each plane of measurement. Mean ± SD length, width, and height of the MDP were 15.2 ± 3.5 mm, 6.3 ± 1.6 mm, and 4.3 ± 1.0 mm, respectively. An increase in body weight of dogs was significantly associated with increased values for all measurements. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE The ultrasonographic appearance and approximate dimensions of the MDP of dogs without evidence of hepatobiliary, pancreatic, or gastrointestinal tract disease were determined. Additional studies are needed to evaluate possible ultrasonographic lesions of the MDP in dogs with hepatobiliary, pancreatic, or intestinal diseases and to investigate clinical implications of these lesions with regard to diagnosis and prognosis.

Ultrasound appearance of the duodenal papilla in clinically healthy cats

“…In other descriptive ultrasound studies of an organ or structure, several measurements are taken of the same dimension, of the same animal and by the same operator, to ensure repeatability. This was the case for the study by Mortier et al, 6 in which all length, width and height measurements of the major DP were taken three times for each dog, with the ultrasound probe being repositioned between each measurement. This was not undertaken in our study so as to limit the examination time.…”

“…In dogs, this factor is also not significantly correlated with the dimensions of the major DP. 6 Thus, in cats, there is a weak but significant proportionality relationship between the diameter of the main pancreatic duct measured by ultrasound and the age: the diameter is greater in older cats. 21 This result was found in 73 cats, approximately 80% of which were under 10 years of age (ie, comparable to our population) but only when the duct was measured at the level of the body of the pancreas.…”

“…No correlation was found between the weight and the dimensions of the DP, contrary to the situation in dogs, for which weight correlates well with the dimensions of the major DP. 6 This could be explained by the small weight interval in the feline species. Indeed, in our study, the average weight was 4.2 ± 0.73 kg (range 2.8–5.8).…”

“…With regard to the duodenal wall, there is no correlation between the age of the animal and the thickness of the wall. 22 According to Mortier et al, 6 sex is not a factor that significantly influences the dimensions of the major DP. We obtained the same result in cats.…”

Evaluation of the efficacy of simethicone in the abdominal ultrasound and pancreas evaluation on dogs

“…Due to the animals were presented to the Hospital Unit for Company Animals because of different diseases, it was necessary the development of exclusion criterions, which prevented erroneous results to this work. The exclusion criterion were: diarrhea, vomit, clinical or surgical emergency, statement of any gastrointestinal condition and presence of any kind of peritoneum effusion (MORTIER, et al, 2016). There are no studies which report imaging complication due to age or weight.…”