Pathological changes in abdominal organs detected with ultrasound in dogs with hyperadrenocorticism

Abstract

Hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing’s syndrome) is an endocrinological disease that causes an increase in cortisol levels and can result in several vital organs pathologies. The aim of this study was to figure out, what pathological changes in abdominal organs are usually detected with ultrasound in dogs with hyperadrenocorticism. Hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing’s syndrome) can be caused by a pituitary gland pathology, adrenal gland pathology, and it also can be caused by big and often administered doses of corticosteroids (iatrogenic Cushing’s syndrome). Most usual symptoms – polyuria, polydipsia, polyphagia, enlargement of the abdomen – are not very specific and that is why sometimes it is not easy to diagnose it. Diagnosis of this disease is based on anamnesis, clinical examination, diagnostic imaging and adrenal function tests [1]. According to a previous study, high levels of cortisol affect abdominal organs such as liver, gallbladder,spleen, kidneys, urinary bladder and adrenal glands. Pathological changes in echotexture, echogenicity, size, loss of definition and structure, changes in wall dimensions can be seen in dogs with hyperadrenocorticism [2]. In addition, in another study, in which age, gender, castration status and weight were investigated as risk factors for hyperadrenocorticism, it was noticed that hyperadrenocorticism is more prevalent in middle aged and old dogs, spayed females and medium or small size dogs [3]. This retrospective study included 32 dogs of various breeds, ages, weights, different genders whose low dose dexamethasone test result was positive and to whom abdominal ultrasound was done. The subjects of this study were of 16 various breeds, most of them (31.25 %) were mixed breed, more than a half (56.25%) of them were female dogs and the average age of all the subjects was 10.09 ± 2.26 years. The average weight of the dogs included in the study was 12.70 ± 11.38 kg. Pathological changes that were mostly detected with ultrasound in dogs with hyperadrenocorticism were a loss of definition in the corticomedullary junction (65.62 %), sediments in the gallbladder (59.38 %), rounded poles of both adrenal glands (40.63 %), bilateral adrenomegaly (34.37 %), heterogeneous echogenic pattern of the liver (31.25 %) and enlarged renal collecting system (28.13 %). After investigation on how age, gender, castration status affects the pathological changes detected with ultrasound in dogs with hyperadrenocorticism, it was discovered that neither of those factors have an impact on any of the changes detected in abdominal ultrasound in dogs with hyperadrenocorticism (p>0.05).