Several reports have demonstrated the applicability and limitations of B-mode ultrasonography [6,7,8,9,10,11,12], Doppler [8,10,13,14,15], elastography [3,4,16,17,18,19], and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) [20,21,22,23] in the evaluation of breast cancer in humans and canines. However, no report has yet compared the efficacy of these ultrasonography techniques in predicting malignancy of mammary tumors.
2Department of Veterinary Clinics and Surgery, UNESP—Universidade Estadual Paulista “Julio de Mesquita Filho”, School of Agrarian Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Campus Jaboticabal, Jaboticabal, São Paulo, BrazilFind articles by
This study was approved by the Ethics Committee in the Use of Animals of the School of Agrarian Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, UNESP–Universidade Estadual Paulista, Jaboticabal-SP, Brazil (protocol No 023705/12).
1Department of Animal Reproduction, UNESP—Universidade Estadual Paulista “Julio de Mesquita Filho”, School of Agrarian Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Campus Jaboticabal, Jaboticabal, São Paulo, BrazilFind articles by
Following ultrasonography evaluation, the animals were referred to the Department of Veterinary Clinics and Surgery for mastectomy. Samples of the mammary masses were collected for histopathology analysis and their macroscopic appearance evaluated. Multiple tissue fragments were fixed in 10% phosphate buffer formaldehyde solution (pH 7.4) and routinely processed for histopathology analysis prior to paraffin embedding. Tissue sections (5 μm) were mounted onto glass slides and stained with Haematoxylin and Eosin (HE).
Conditions Which May Mean Your Pet Could Benefit From an Ultrasound
If your dog or cat has been diagnosed with a heart condition, your vet may refer you to a specialist for a heart ultrasound or echocardiogram to help evaluate the condition and function of your pets heart and to search for any abnormalities.
If your veterinarian discovers any anomalies or abnormalities in your pets urine tests or blood samples, they may recommend that your companion get an ultrasound in order to gain a better picture of their internal organs like their lymph nodes, kidneys, bladder and more to try and identify what is causing the issue.
Almost all kinds fo soft tissue can be examined in detail thanks to ultrasound imaging technology. Some of the most common areas examined using ultrasound include:
If abnormal tissue is spotted during an ultrasound, the vet may also use the ultrasound to help collect tissue samples from the affected area.
Samples are typically collected using these methods:
If your vet will be performing an ultrasound-assisted tissue collection, your pet will likely be sedated. We can perform biopsies in a less invasive manner with ultrasounds than with surgeries.
Will my dog have to have an anesthetic?
Anesthesia is not usually needed for most ultrasound examinations, unless biopsies are to be taken. The technique is totally painless and most dogs will lie comfortably while the scan is being performed. Occasionally, if the dog is very frightened or fractious, a sedative may be necessary.