Intestinal Vicarious Contrast Medium Excretion on Delayed Computed Tomography in Dogs with Protein-Losing Enteropathy

The intestinal vicarious contrast medium excretion (VCME) can occur in dogs with protein-losing enteropathy (PLE), and studies for intestinal VCME in dogs are lacking. This retrospective case-control study aimed to assess whether intestinal VCME could be observed on delayed CT in dogs with and without PLE. Thirty dogs who underwent abdominal delayed CT in the 10 min-delayed phase following the injection of contrast medium were enrolled. Six dogs were classified into the group with enteropathy based on imaging findings or abnormal results from cytology or histology. The six dogs had concurrent hypoalbuminemia and were diagnosed with presumed PLE. Five of the six dogs in the group with enteropathy had intestinal VCME. In the 24 dogs of the group without enteropathy, intestinal VCME was not detected on delayed CT, and VCME to the cisterna chyli was observed in one dog. The frequency of intestinal VCME was significantly higher in the group with enteropathy than in the group without enteropathy (p <.001). The presence of intestinal VCME on the delayed CT can be observed in dogs with PLE, and it can be used as noninvasive additional supportive evidence of canine PLE prior to histopathologic evaluation.