Diagnostic imaging of isolated splenic torsion in a German shepherd dog

A 5-year-old male German shepherd dog was presented with a 4 day-history of anorexia and depression. Abdominal radiographs showed a large soft tissue mass and loss of serosal detail. Ultrasonographs revealed splenomegaly with the lacy pattern parenchyma, perivenous hyperechoic region at the splenic hilum, and loss of splenic venous flow. Computed tomographic findings included the enlarged non-enhanced spleen except perivenous region at the splenic hilum and a whirled soft tissue mass at the splenic hilum. Exploratory laparotomy confirmed the diagnosis of splenic torsion. Ultrasonographic findings including lacy appearance, hyperechoic perivenous echogenicity and absence of splenic blood flow and CT findings including no or minimal enhancement of the spleen and a whirled appearance of splenic pedicle could be useful for diagnosing isolated splenic torsion in the dog.