Contrast-enhanced computed tomography findings of canine primary renal tumors including renal cell carcinoma, lymphoma, and hemangiosarcoma

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 14; no. 11; p. e0225211
• Main Authors: Tanaka, Toshiyuki, Akiyoshi, Hideo, Nishida, Hidetaka, Mie, Keiichiro, Lin, Lee-Shuan, Iimori, Yasumasa, Okamoto, Mari
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 22.11.2019; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Abdomen; Angiosarcoma; Animals; Attenuation; Biology and Life Sciences; Blood clots; Blood vessels; Carcinoma, Renal cell; Carcinoma, Renal Cell - diagnostic imaging; Carcinoma, Renal Cell - veterinary; Computed tomography; Contrast Media; CT imaging; Diagnosis, Differential; Differential diagnosis; Dog Diseases - diagnostic imaging; Dogs; Environmental science; Family medical history; Female; Hemangiosarcoma - diagnostic imaging; Hemangiosarcoma - veterinary; Image contrast; Kidney cancer; Kidney Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Kidney Neoplasms - veterinary; Laboratories; Lung Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Lung Neoplasms - secondary; Lung Neoplasms - veterinary; Lymphadenopathy; Lymphadenopathy - diagnostic imaging; Lymphadenopathy - veterinary; Lymphoma; Male; Medical diagnosis; Medical imaging; Medicine and Health Sciences; Metastases; Metastasis; NMR; Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Renal cell carcinoma; Research and Analysis Methods; Retrospective Studies; Surgery; Tomography, X-Ray Computed - veterinary; Tumor Burden; Tumors; Ultrasonic imaging; Ultrasound; Veterinary medicine; Veterinary services; Japan
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0225211

In veterinary medicine, abdominal ultrasonography is used to rank the differential diagnosis of renal lesions. However, a conventional sonographic examination may show nonspecific findings. The purpose of this study was to assess the computed tomography (CT) findings of canine renal tumors, including renal cell carcinoma (RCC), lymphoma, and hemangiosarcoma (HSA). In this retrospective study, the following CT parameters were recorded for each dog: 1) extent of renal involvement of tumors, 2) enhancement pattern, 3) number of renal tumors, 4) renal tumor vessel enhancement in the corticomedullary phase, 5) presence of lymphadenopathy and lung metastasis, and 6) attenuation values of the renal tumors on the pre- and post-contrast corticomedullary, nephrographic, and excretory phase images. Fifteen dogs met the inclusion criteria, of which nine had RCCs, four had lymphomas, and two had HSAs. RCCs tended to show heterogeneous enhancement and unilateral renal involvement, and vessel enhancement was detected in the corticomedullary phase in dogs with RCC. Conversely, renal lymphomas showed homogeneous enhancement, bilateral renal involvement, and multiple masses; in these dogs, no vessel enhancement was detected in the corticomedullary phase, and the incidence of lymphadenopathy was low. However, in dogs with lymphadenopathy, the renal lymphoma was associated with regionally severe lymphadenopathy. Finally, renal HSAs tended to show heterogeneous enhancement with a non-enhanced area and unilateral renal involvement; in these dogs, vessel enhancement was detected in the nephrographic phase, with the enhancement expanding around the vessel. These findings had no significant differences. Further studies with a larger sample size are required to examine the association between CT and histopathological findings.