Objective: To evaluate the clinical feasibility and usefulness of measuring shunt fraction (SF) and hepatic perfusion with CT in dogs with a single extrahepatic portosystemic shunt (EPSS).
Animals: 36 client-owned dogs with EPSS.
Procedures: Dogs with EPSS referred for treatment between February 2016 and May 2017 were eligible for the clinical trial. Shunt type, SF, and hepatic perfusion were determined in each dog with a 320-row multidetector CT scanner, and surgical treatment was performed by a single veterinary surgeon. Differences in results between dogs grouped according to age (< 3 years vs ≥ 3 years), shunt type, and subgroups (eg, clinical signs and surgical procedure) were analyzed, and correlations between the SF and hepatic perfusion variables were evaluated.
Results: The median SF was higher in dogs < 3 years old (74.6%; n = 18) versus dogs ≥ 3 years old (35.1%; 18). Correlations were identified between SF and hepatic perfusion variables, and differences in results for SF and hepatic perfusion variables were detected between dogs grouped according to shunt type.
Conclusions and clinical relevance: Results indicated that CT-derived measurements of SF and hepatic perfusion variables in dogs with EPSS were feasible and could be useful (eg, estimating EPSS condition status and planning treatment) in clinical settings. In addition, our findings suggested that perfusion CT could be useful for distinguishing hemodynamic characteristics among different types of portosystemic shunts in dogs.