Use of contrast harmonic ultrasound for the diagnosis of congenital portosystemic shunts in three dogs

Contrast harmonic ultrasound was used to determine macrovascular and perfusion patterns in three dogs with congenital extrahepatic solitary portosystemic shunts (PSS). With coded harmonic angiographic ultrasound, the size and tortuosity of the hepatic arteries were subjectively increased. Single pulse intermittent low-amplitude harmonic perfusion imaging provided contrast enhancement time - intensity curves from regions of interest in the liver. Mean (±standard deviation) peak perfusion times of dogs with PSS were significantly shorter (p = 0.01; 7.0 ± 2.0 s) than reported in normal dogs (22.8 ± 6.8 s). The contrast inflow slope for the dogs with PSS (14.6 ± 3.7 pixel intensity units [PIU] was significantly (p = 0.05) larger than reported for normal dogs (3.6 ± 1.4 PIU/s). These results indicate that combined coded harmonic angiographic and contrast harmonic perfusion sonography can be used to detect increased hepatic arterial blood flow as an indicator of PSS in dogs.