SAEVA Congress 2018 Proceedings | 12-15 February 2018 | ATKV Goudini Spa
Idiopathic muscular hypertrophy of the small intestine
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
The wall of the affected portion of the intestine is usually thickened with an abnormal
pattern of echogenicity in the bowel wall. Increased or decreased echogenicity in one
or more layers of the bowel wall, usually the submucosa, is usually present. The
visualization of abnormal echogenicity with persistence of the bowel wall layering is
more consistent with IBD than neoplasia. Thickening of the bowel wall with increased
vascularity is indicative of active IBD. Power Doppler and color Doppler ultrasound can
be used to assess vascularity of the gastrointestinal tract in horses with suspected IBD.
Although usually diffuse, some horses with focal eosinophilic enteritis causing small
intestinal obstruction have been described. Circumferential mural bands have been
detected in both the small and large intestine at surgery in some horses with IBD.
Duodenal thickening with lymphocytic/plasmocytic enterocolitis
Alimentary lymphosarcoma
The sonographic identification of a wide variety of intestinal neoplasia has been
described, however, this discussion will only focus on alimentary lymphosarcoma, a
common differential for IBD. Thickening of the gastrointestinal wall, most frequently
the small intestine, with an echoic homogeneous cellular infiltrate is consistent with
alimentary lymphosarcoma, although IBD must be included in the differential list.
Loss of the layering of the bowel wall is more indicative of neoplasia, but may also
be simply a consequence of the resolution of the sonographic image. Large solitary
mostly homogeneous mural masses are also occasionally imaged in horses with
lymphosarcoma. Hypoechoic homogeneous enlarged mesenteric lymph nodes are
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