Ultrasound features of kidneys in the rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus

Abstract

Purpose: To determine the normal sonographic features of rabbit kidneys with regard to their use in diagnostic imaging of renal lesions in this species. Materials: Twelve sexually mature clinically healthy New Zealand White rabbits weighing 2.8 kg to 3.2 kg were examined after anaesthesia. Methods: A diagnostic ultrasound system with microconvex multifrequency 6.5 MHz probe was used. The animals were positioned in dorsal recumbency. The transabdominal paravertebral imaging approach was used. Longitudinal and transverse scans of the kidneys were obtained. Six rabbits were sacrificed, their kidneys removed and studied in isotonic liquid medium. Results: The shape of kidneys was elliptical. The fibrous capsule was visualized as a straight hyperechoic band. The fatty capsule was hyperechoic and with irregular borders. The cortex exhibited a heterogeneous echogenicity. The acoustic density of the cortex was lower than that of the liver. The echoicity of the medulla was lower as compared to the cortex and the structures of the kidney pelvis. The latter appeared as a centrally located hyperechoic structure. The post mortem examination showed that kidneys were oval and hyperechoic. The kidney pelvis was seen as a centrally located longitudinal finding, and the renal hilum -as a centrally located hyperechoic finding. Conclusions: The transabdominal paravertebral approach was a good method for visualization of rabbit kidneys. The dorsal recumbency of the subjects allowed the visualization. The in vivo results corresponded to those from the post mortem study. The rabbit kidney was oval in shape. The hypoechoic peripheral zone is occupied by the cortex and the medulla, while the hyperechoic central zone -by the kidney pelvis. The cortex was less echoic than the liver parenchyma. The kidney pelvic cavity had a lower acoustic density than its walls, due to the presence of peripelvic adipose tissue. The present results could be used in the interpretation of normal and pathological renal findings in the rabbit.

Influence of suture diameter on microsurgical ureterorrhaphy in rabbits: an experimental study

“…Due to the widespread use of rabbits in experimental research, some studies [22][23][24] describe and compare the measurements and sonographic characteristics of healthy animals. They all point to a positive correlation between kidney measurements and animal weight, which can also be observed in this study, because, despite the measures of renal length and width of the control group, consisting of the non-operated contralateral kidney and ureter, being smaller than those described for white New Zealand rabbits [24], the animals used here had a lower average weight, justifying the difference found.…”

Importance for experiments in human medicine of imaging modalities for macroanatomical and histological study of rabbit suprarenal glands

“…The US anatomical features of the rabbit abdominal vessels have also been investigated in real time (35). A two-dimensional US anatomical study of the rabbit kidneys has been performed to determine the morphological sonographic characteristics of these organs and their application in clinical practice (9). Furthermore, in recent years, abdominal US has been widely used to study the features of organs in living rodents and New Zealand rabbits, which are used as anatomical models.…”

Características ultrassonográficas de fígado, vesícula biliar, rins, vesícula urinária e jejuno em coelhos jovens e adultos

“…As descrições das imagens ultrassonográficas de ambos os rins desse estudo foram semelhantes às observadas em coelhos NZB por Dimitrov (2012) e em coelhos de raças mistas por Banzato et al (2015). Os valores de comprimento, largura e espessura encontrados no estudo de Banzato et al (2015) foram inferiores aos encontrados no atual estudo, sendo também observada pelos autores correlação positiva entre peso corporal e as três mensurações de ambos os rins.…”

“…Mesmo com este crescimento, poucos são os estudos descritivos de avaliações em animais hígidos, sendo que grande parte destes estudos abordam órgãos ou sistemas separadamente, com variação na raça e no método utilizado (Takeda et al 2007, Moarabi et al 2011, Dimitrov 2012, Casamian-Sorrosal et al 2014, Banzato et al 2015. Portanto, o objetivo deste estudo foi descrever e comparar características ultrassonográficas e mensurações de fígado, vesí-cula biliar, rins, vesícula urinária e jejuno de coelhos Nova Zelândia Brancos jovens (entre 35 e 77 dias) e adultos, sem a utilização de sedação.…”