Case of the week 10.11.19
Publication Date: 2019-10-11
History
1 year old ferret. Tense abdominal palpation
3 images
Findings
Orthogonal radiographs of the abdomen are available for interpretation.
The serosal detail is normal.
The stomach is markedly distended and contains fluid/soft tissue opaque material and gas. On the left lateral view, the proximal duodenum is markedly distended with gas, and is seen extending caudal to the kidneys before looping back on itself and extending cranially. Seen on both lateral views, there is a distended segment of small intestine in the ventral abdomen caudal to the stomach which is fluid/soft tissue opaque. The remainder of the small intestines are normal in size. The colon is normal. The liver, spleen, and kidneys are normal. The urinary bladder is small, but appears normal.
Diagnosis
- Proximal small intestinal mechanical obstruction. A distinct intraluminal foreign body is not identified. An abdominal ultrasound may be considered for further evaluation. Exploratory laparotomy is indicated.
Discussion
The obstruction was confirmed on ultrasound. Unfortunately the patient was concurrently in renal failure and was not able to undergo surgery. The patient was euthanized.
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