Page 6 - Clinical Connections- Summer 2021
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91°µÍø RESEARCH STUDY VETERINARY SERVICES 91°µÍø.AC.UK
Clinical Research
DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING OF PORTOSYSTEMIC
SHUNTS
Mark Plested, Staff Clinician in Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging, and Randi Drees, Associate Professor in
Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging
he imaging of portosystemic allows an excellent overview of the Over the past few years, the diagnostic
shunts is a hot topic in the world anatomy. imaging team at the Queen Mother
T of veterinary radiology, with a Accurately determining the morphology Hospital for Animals (QMHA) set out to
large number of research articles being of portosystemic shunts, including their further characterise the morphology of
published on the subject in the last 10 origin and insertion, is important for intrahepatic portosystemic shunts – a
years. Following a gradual transition from preoperative planning and minimising rarer form of shunt that typically occurs
ultrasound to CT as the diagnostic test of surgical times in these patients. The in large breed dogs. Intrahepatic shunts
choice, the variations and complexities majority of research so far has focused are challenging to diagnose and fully
of portosystemic shunts have become on the classification of extrahepatic assess using ultrasonography, due to the
increasingly clear. CT images can provide portosystemic shunts – those anomalous complex anatom