A case report: Characteristic plain radiographic findings of a displaced abomasum in a heifer

Abstract

A 9-month-old Holstein heifer with a history of severely poor growth presented with diarrhoea. On physical examination, a metallic pinging sound was heard on the simultaneous percussion and auscultation of the left trunk. On the cranial abdominal radiography, the contour of a gas-filled balloon-like abomasum wall was delineated, which elevated to the dorsal abdomen. Radiopaque sand at the bottom of the abomasum had been pulled up caudodorsally by the gas-filled abomasum. After surgery, the gas-filled balloon-like appearance of the abomasum wall disappeared and the radiopaque sand was located in the normal position. To our knowledge, no reports on a displaced abomasum on plain radiographs are available. The radiographic findings described herein are characteristic imaging findings of a displaced abomasum. Abdominal radiography could be a new option as an auxiliary diagnostic approach for a displaced abomasum.

Efficacy of Abdominal Ultrasonography for Differentiation of Gastrointestinal Diseases in Calves

“…Radiography is traditionally used to diagnose bovine abdominal diseases, such as peritoneal effusion and the presence of foreign bodies [ 23 ]. Bovine intestinal obstruction may be identified based on indicative findings, such as excess intraluminal gas in dilated intestinal loops or the appearance of horizontal gas–fluid interfaces [ 6 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ]. Contrast radiography is routinely utilized to diagnose various intestinal diseases in small animals [ 29 ] and could be helpful for diagnosing abomasal dislocation and atresia coli in some bovine cases [ 30 , 31 ].…”

“…Contrast radiography is routinely utilized to diagnose various intestinal diseases in small animals [ 29 ] and could be helpful for diagnosing abomasal dislocation and atresia coli in some bovine cases [ 30 , 31 ]. However, the diagnostic efficacy of radiography in bovine practice may be inferior to that in small animal practice, because of the lack of clarity of lesions due to the overlapping of the very large abdominal viscera and the presence of structural traps such as the omasum preventing the smooth intraluminal flow of contrast medium when administrated orally [ 27 , 28 ]. In accordance with the use of computed tomography (CT) in human medicine [ 32 , 33 , 34 ], this imaging modality has previously been used in bovine practice, as it is superior to radiography for the detection of gastrointestinal diseases but is not useful as a routine diagnostic tool [ 2 , 6 , 35 ].…”