Assessment of ultrasonographic and endoscopic changes in dogs with gastrointestinale disorders

ABSTRACT The study has been conducted over a period of 4 years, on a total number of 133 dogs, all of those expressing gastrointestinal disorders. Ultrasound and endoscopic examinations were performed in all dogs in order to assess any significant correlations between ultrasonographic and endoscopic findings. The results confirm a significant correlation between the presence of diarrhoea and increased thickness of the large bowel wall, with P<0.5. Another extremely significant correlation we observed is the one between increased thickness of large bowel wall and loss of layering at this level, with P<0.5. Upper GI endoscopy revealed that dilated lacteals in the duodenum are significantly associated with the presence of diarrhoea, P<0.5 and, more importantly, there is a very significant correlation between dilated lacteals and the presence of striations (P<0.5), which confirms previous studies (Sutherland-Smith et al., 2007) that say the striated aspect of the intestinal mucosa is due to dilated lacteals.