Novel CT Features of an Abdominal Gossypiboma in a Female Dog

An eight-year-old Golden Retriever was presented with hypercalcemia and a complex abdominal mass.

A well-defined, heterogeneously contrast-enhancing, cavitary, soft tissue attenuating, non-organ associated abdominal mass was identified caudal to the right kidney. This mass was confluent with the distal tip of the right limb of the pancreas. A connected large, rim enhancing, cystic subcutaneous mass was also present in the right lumbar subcutaneous tissues, and there were multiple fistulous tracts through the hypaxial musculature.

The dog underwent a surgical exploratory laparotomy and a gossypiboma was removed from the intra-abdominal mass; the cystic extra-abdominal mass was drained percutaneously. Surgical recovery was uneventful and a follow-up CT after 3 months was consistent with resolving granulomatous inflammation and fibrosis.

The presence of multiple peripherally enhancing tracts extending from the abdominal mass through the hypaxial musculature is a CT feature which has not yet been described in the veterinary literature. Additionally, incorporation of the pancreas into the abdominal mass has also not yet been described in the veterinary literature.