Features Of Adrenal Glands Research Articles

COMPARAÇÃO DAS CARACTERÍSTICAS E MEDIDAS ULTRASSONOGRÁFICAS DAS GLÂNDULAS ADRENAIS DE CÃES E GATOS FILHOTES SAUDÁVEIS

The aim of the study was to analyze and compare the ultrasound characteristics of adrenal glands between healthy puppies and kittens by establishing standards of normality and references. Fifteen healthy crossbred puppies with mean weight of 3 kg and fifteen healthy crossbred kittens with mean weight of 2 kg, aged between five and six months, participated in the study. The animals were submitted to ultrasound exam of adrenal glands for visualization of their internal characteristics. The frequency of visualization of adrenal glands was 100% in kittens. In puppies the frequency was 75% for the right gland and 100% for the left gland. The puppy’s adrenal gland, both right and left, were bigger in length (1.08 ± 0.01 cm, 1.11 ± 0.01 cm) and width (0.42 ± 0.02 cm, 0.45 ± 0.01 cm) in relation to kittens’ adrenal gland length (0.64 ± 0.01 cm, 0.63 ± 0.01 cm) and width (0.30 ± 0.02 cm, 0.34 ± 0.01 cm). The adrenal gland of puppies and kittens was hypoechogenic to the surrounded fat, delimited by a hyperechogenic line and without distinction of the cortical and medullar region. The ultrasound dimensions of length and width of the adrenal glands, both right and left, were the same in puppies and kittens. The right and left puppies’ adrenal glands were longer and wider than the kittens’ glands. KEYWORDS: Abdomen; adrenal gland; small animals; ultrasound.

CONTRAST‐ENHANCED ULTRASONOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF ADRENAL GLANDS IN DOGS WITH PITUITARY‐DEPENDENT HYPERADRENOCORTICISM

A noninvasive method for quantifying adrenal gland vascular patterns could be helpful for improving detection of adrenal gland disease in dogs. The purpose of this retrospective study was to compare the contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) characteristics of adrenal glands in 18 dogs with pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism (PDH) vs. four clinically healthy dogs. Each dog received a bolus of the contrast agent (SonoVue®, 0.03 ml/kg of body weight) into the cephalic vein, immediately followed by a 5 ml saline flush. Dynamic contrast enhancement was analyzed using time-intensity curves in two regions of interest drawn manually in the caudal part of the adrenal cortex and medulla, respectively. In healthy dogs, contrast enhancement distribution was homogeneous and exhibited increased intensity from the medulla to the cortex. In the washout phase, there was a gradual and homogeneous decrease of enhancement of the adrenal gland. For all dogs with PDH, there was rapid, chaotic, and simultaneous contrast enhancement in both the medulla and cortex. Three distinct perfusion patterns were observed. Peak perfusion intensity was approximately twice as high (P < 0.05) in dogs with PDH compared with that of healthy dogs (28.90 ± 10.36 vs. 48.47 ± 15.28, respectively). In dogs with PDH, adrenal blood flow and blood volume values were approximately two- to fourfold (P < 0.05) greater than those of controls. Findings from the present study support the use of CEUS as a clinical tool for characterizing canine adrenal gland disease based on changes in vascular patterns.

The characteristics of adrenal glands and its hormones in cetaceans

The characteristics of adrenal glands and its hormones in cetaceans