Comparison between computed tomographic and ultrasonographic findings of the liver and spleen in dogs with confirmed hepatic or splenic lymphoma involvement.

Background: Computed tomography (CT) and ultrasonography (US) may be used to assist staging in dogs with lymphoma. The imaging features of splenic and hepatic infiltration have never been directly compared in the same population of dogs.

Methods: The aim of this retrospective study was to describe and compare the CT and US findings of the liver and spleen in dogs with confirmed hepatic and/or splenic lymphoma and compare imaging and cytological diagnoses.

Results: CT and US studies of 18 dogs with multicentric lymphoma involving the liver and/or the spleen were retrospectively evaluated. US detected abnormalities more frequently than CT in the spleen with lymphoma, whereas CT detected abnormalities more frequently in the liver with lymphoma. The two diagnostic imaging modalities often disagreed in the findings, including the imaging classification of the organ as normal or abnormal.

Conclusion: US and CT often disagree in the imaging findings present in hepatic and splenic lymphoma. The results of this study suggest that cytologic evaluation of both the liver and spleen is advisable regardless of their US or CT appearance for detection of lymphoma.