Diagnostic utility of computed tomographic angiography in dogs with portal vein thrombosis

Abstract

Computed tomographic (CT) angiography, the gold standard for diagnosing portal vein thrombosis (PVT) in humans, is poorly documented in dogs. Therefore, we retrospectively reviewed dogs with PVT diagnosed by CT angiography. Medical records of 13 client-owned dogs diagnosed with PVT by CT angiography were reviewed. All dogs had chronic PVT, and the most frequent clinical sign was vomiting (5/13), with pancreatitis the most frequent concurrent disease (6/13). All dogs tested for plasma D-dimer concentration (12/12) revealed elevated levels. On CT angiography, a thrombus was detected as a non-contrast enhancement structure in the portal vessel of 13 dogs. There was no evidence of complete obstruction of the portal vein in any of the dogs. The median luminal filling of the portal vein was 60.4%. The thrombus extension was variable among dogs, with a median of 34.9 mm. CT angiography identified the thrombus in the main portal vein of 12/13 dogs and multiple thrombus formation other than the main portal vein in 9/13 dogs. CT angiography provided specific information such as detecting the presence, location, and number of PVT in dogs. Therefore, CT angiography might be useful for the diagnosis and follow-up evaluation of PVT in dogs.