Lack of associations between ultrasonographic appearance of parenchymal lesions of the canine liver and histological diagnosis

Abstract

To assess if there are any ultrasonographic features that may enable tentative diagnosis of hepatic parenchymal disease. Records of 371 dogs that had abdominal ultrasonography and abnormal liver on biopsy or necropsy were reviewed. Histological diagnoses were hepatitis (n=77), nodular hyperplasia (n=47), vacuolar change (n=45), fibrosis (n=32), primary hepatic carcinoma (n=30), lymphoma (n=28), metastatic neoplasia (n=27), necrosis (n=21), lipidosis (n=17), haemangiosarcoma (n=13), round cell tumour (n=9), hepatocellular adenoma (n=8), degenerative change (n=6), steroid hepatopathy (n=7) and extramedullary haematopoiesis (n=4). The most prevalent ultrasonographic features were multifocal lesions (63% livers with haemangiosarcoma and 43% livers with hepatocellular carcinoma), diffuse lesions (71% livers with steroid hepatopathy, 44% livers with fibrosis and 40% livers with vacuolar hepatopathy), hyperechoic lesions (71% livers with steroid hepatopathy, 41% livers with lipidosis and 38% livers with fibrosis), heterogeneous lesions (62% livers with haemangiosarcoma), hepatomegaly (43% livers with steroid hepatopathy) and peritoneal fluid (62% livers with haemangiosarcoma). Target lesions were associated with malignancy in 67% instances. Marked variability in ultrasonographic appearance of lesions was observed for all diagnoses, and no statistically significant associations between ultrasonographic appearance and diagnosis were found. Histological examination remains essential for diagnosis of canine hepatic disease.