Retroperitoneum

Question 1

Retroperitoneal effusion detected or not detected?

Answer 1

Detected - soft tissue opacity rather than fat opacity circled in image.

Question 2

Carcinomatosis - detected or not detected?

Answer 2

Detected - note that you can see spleen but outline looks hazy and area over intestines looks hazy and patchy and lacks detail.

Question 3

Pancreatitis - detected or not detected?

Answer 3

Not detected - normal feline pancreas. Usually hard to see but can be seen in cats, virtually never see a normal pancreas in dogs.

Question 4

What is the best method to detect free abdominal gas? What are the potential causes of free abdominal gas?

Answer 4

Ultrasound!

• Surgery
• Ruptured hollow vuscus
• External penetrating wound
• Abscessation

Question 5

Free abdominal gas - detected or not detected?

Answer 5

Detected - you can see it throughout the abdomen but seeing it between the diaphragm and the liver is confirmation.

Question 6

1. Pneumoperitoneum
2. Pneumomedistinum
3. Pneumothorax

Detected or not detected?

Answer 6

1. Yes - normally won’t see abdominal aorta but we can see them here because of air surrounding them
2. Yes - normally won’t see subclavian and all branches but we can because of air surrounding them
3. No

Question 7

1. Pneumoretroperitoneum
2. Subcutaneous Emphysema

Detected or not detected?

Answer 7

Both detected - pneumoretroperitoneum is not as dark as actual air because of tissue and fluid overlaying it but you can still tell that it is not soft tissue or fat opacity.

Question 8

What, if anything, is abnormal here?

Answer 8

Medial Iliac Lymphadenopathy - mass of soft tissue opacity

Question 9

You see mineralized adrenal glands on radiographs. Are you alarmed?

Answer 9

If it is a cat - no, this is usually an incidental finding.

If it is a dog - yes - enlarged and mineralized lymph nodes are usually neoplasia.

Question 10

Is this kidney normal? What would it look like on radiopgraph?

Answer 10

No - this is polycystic kidney disease. On radiographs kidneys are likely bilaterally enlarged and lumpy bumpy.

Question 11

Urinary cacluli - detected or not detected?

Answer 11

Detected - also renal calculi because you can see mineralized specks in kidneys and in bladder.

Question 12

Pyelonephritis - detected or not detected?

Answer 12

2 is normal.

Detected in #1 - blunted diverticulae and enlarged renal pelvis is shown by the contrast study.

Question 13

Glomerular nephritis - detected or not detected?

Answer 13

Not detected - this is a kidney neoplasia. Half the kidney looks normal and half the kidney is just a tumor.

Question 14

Hydronephrosis - detected or not detected?

Answer 14

Detected - characteristic “C” shape on transverse view and all structures bloated and enlarged.

Question 15

Can you assess bladder wall thickness, mucosal surface, and hematuria on radigraphs?

Answer 15

Nope! Can’t evaluate any of that on radiographs.

Question 16

Detected or not detected - gas in the bladder?

Answer 16

Detected in bladder wall so it is pathogenic - likely due to glucose fermentation in diabetics.

Question 17

Ectopic ureter - detected or not detected?

What method is being used to evalulate the lower urinary tract in this image?

Answer 17

Not detected - you can see both ureters look normal and enter the bladder in the trigone area.

This radiograph was taken using negative contrast study.

Question 18

Diagnosis?

Answer 18

Urethral tumor, also likely obstruction because there is dilation after it rightly narrows

Question 19

Uroliths detected or not detected?

Answer 19

Detected - you can tell it is multiple based on the shape looks like multiple small uroliths that cast off dirty shadowing - if they were larger or one large one would show clean shadowing.