Value of thoracic and abdominal screening in dogs with neurological signs

To detect the incidence of clinically important thoracic and abdominal imaging abnormalities in patients with neurological signs but with no clinical signs or laboratory findings consistent with thoracic or abdominal disease.

Review of imaging findings in dogs with neurological signs but no thoracic or abdominal signs that underwent thoracic, or thoracic and abdominal screening during the same hospitalisation as the neurological investigation.

Two hundred and six dogs were included in the thoracic study. Of those, only eight (3.9%) had clinically important findings and in only five cases (2.4%) were the findings related to pathology identified on MRI. One hundred and forty-seven dogs were included in the abdominal study. Abnormalities were found in 23 dogs (15.6%), but in only eight (5.4%) were they considered to be of current clinical importance and in only three (2%) were they related to the pathology identified on MRI. Ultrasonography provided valuable additional information in 22 cases (15%) but this was only considered important in four (2.7%) and related to the neurological condition in one (0.7%). As expected, abdominal ultrasonography often provided more information than radiography alone in the abdominal screening but this was rarely clinically relevant or related to the reason for referral.

Thoracic and abdominal screening of neurological patients with no clinically evident thoracic or abdominal clinical signs only infrequently identified occult but clinically important pathology which changed the current management plan, regardless of neurolocalisation or age.