Hm. Saunders et al., B-MODE AND DOPPLER ULTRASOUND IMAGING OF THE SPLEEN WITH CANINE SPLENIC TORSION - A RETROSPECTIVE EVALUATION, Veterinary radiology & ultrasound, 39(4), 1998, pp. 349-353
The ultrasonographic appearance of splenic torsion has been described;
the splenic parenchyma can be normal, hypoechoic or anechoic with int
erspersed linear echoes (coarse/''lacy'' appearance), The ultrasonogra
phic parenchymal appearance of 15 dogs in this report with splenic tor
sion varied: mottled hypoechoic regions (n = 2), diffusely hypoechoic
(n = 11) and normal (n = 2), Because splenic torsion causes vascular c
ongestion due to splenic vein compression and eventual thrombosis, vis
ible splenic vein intraluminal echogenicities compatible with thrombi
were seen in 13 dogs using B-mode. Using spectral Doppler and color Do
ppler imaging of the splenic veins, no measurable flow velocities were
detected in any of the 15 dogs. The varied B-mode ultrasonographic ap
pearance of the splenic parenchyma with splenic torsion necessitates B
-mode evaluation of the splenic veins for intraluminal echoes and spec
tral or color Doppler evaluation for absent velocity flow.