Abdominal ultrasonography in canine inflammatory bowel disease: A short study

Abstract

Ultrasonography is a noninvasive and inexpensive tool to examine the gastrointestinal tract of small animals with chronic gastrointestinal signs. It plays a major role in the recognition, diagnosis and monitoring of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in human patients. The present study was undertaken to record the ultrasonographic changes associated with canine IBD. Thirty three dogs confirmed with idiopathic IBD were included in the study and subjected to detailed abdominal ultrasonography. This study revealed that dogs with IBD variably have a normal to mildly thickened intestinal wall thickness. Secondary changes recorded in the IBD dogs were gas filled intestinal loops, hypermotility of intestinal loops, dilation of the lumen and mesenteric lymphnode enlargement. In conclusion, intestinal wall measurements do not appear to establish a diagnosis of intestinal inflammation in canine IBD in contrast to humans where ultrasonography has a significant role in establishing the diagnosis.