Northeast Veterinary Imaging

05/11/2025

This very regretful-looking young Labrador cross presented with a swelling on her left ribcage 5 days after pinching a kebab stick and its associated goodies from her owners BBQ. Ultrasound (images 4&5, bw=body wall, gw=gastric wall) showed a linear foreign object consistent with the missing kebab stick lodged within the stomach and extending from the luminal aspect of the right gastric wall, passing across the stomach and penetrating the left gastric wall, to then pass through the body wall on the left side and emerge between the ribs, causing the visible subcutaneous swelling. Remarkably asymptomatic other than the swelling, she was undeterred from her love of all things edible and had eaten a full breakfast the morning of presentation!
Surgical intervention allowed for removal of the kebab stick and gastric wall repair, from which she recovered uneventfully.

14/08/2025

This is a gallbladder tumour in a 9 year old male Dachshund. Gallbladder tumours are very rare in the dog; neuroendocrine neoplasia, smooth muscle tumours, lymphoma, and adenoma / adenocarcinoma have been reported. Differentiation of tumours from polyps is difficult sonographically. Features that alerted me to a possible tumour in this case were the absence of other inflammatory changes (in my experience gallbladder polyps tend to be small and multiple, with an irregular gallbladder mucosa, whereas in this case there is one large solitary lesion with no other changes); and the presence of vascularity, which I don't tend to detect in polypoid lesions and which were found in all gallbladder tumours in one study of 14 dogs. Cytology, while rarely performed, is highly diagnostic for most gallbladder tumours and if malignancy was confirmed, then cholecystectomy would be advised. I therefore felt justified in advising an ultrasound guided FNA in this patient, although I had some concerns about whether the procedure would be diagnostic given the limitations to my usual FNA technique which would be necessary in order to minimise the risk of bile leakage (only one aspirate; maintain a straight route in and out). However, via an intercostal approach (image 2), with a little direct backwards and forwards agitation and suction, my single cytology sample was representative and confirmed a neoplasm - an adenoma.
A preventative laparoscopic cholecystectomy has been advised by a soft tissue specialist in case of bile duct obstruction.

14/08/2025

This is ultrasound-assisted minimally invasive foreign body retrieval. It’s a variation on ultrasound guided wire placement for surgical location of foreign bodies, which I find a bit hitty missy with the wire often moving and also requiring a large incision for surgical access. With this catheter technique, the catheter leaves a pe*******on track large enough to allow passage of alligator forceps, and so permits retrieval through the catheter track, without the need for full surgical incision.

This spaniel presented with malaise and a focal swelling over the left rib cage. Ultrasound showed a large area of reactivity within which was a linear, shadowing echogenic structure 1.3cm long consisting of two parallel echogenic lines, consistent with grass seed / foliage foreign body, adjacent to the tenth rib (image 2). Under ultrasound guidance a 16 guage iv catheter was advanced to the foreign body and agitated to create a little space around it. The stylet was withdrawn and limited surgical intervention was then required which involved an incision over the catheter site, removal of the catheter, and retrieval of the offending foliage via alligator forceps passed along the catheter track, without direct visualisation. A post-procedure ultrasound confirmed no residual foreign material. A nice technique for these pesky, common, and sometimes immensely frustrating imaging - surgical combination cases!

23/07/2025