B-mode ultrasonographic and computed tomographic characteristics of normal, reactive, and neoplastic lymph nodes in dogs and their correlation to cytology and histopathology

• Grant number: 20/04868-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: September 01, 2020
• End date: March 31, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Luciano Andrade Silva
• Grantee: Anna Carolina Mazeto Ercolin
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Pirassununga , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Several studies developed criteria to help distinguish between normal and abnormal lymph nodes, both in human and veterinary patients. However, those studies frequently describe normal and reactive nodes in the same group, and most of the researches lacks gold standard correlation. This retrospective observational study aims to investigate the diagnostic performance of B-mode ultrasonography and computed tomography to differentiate normal, reactive, and neoplastic lymph nodes in dogs. The first part of the study consists of the investigation of the main lymph nodes of the canine head and neck. This study aims to establish the correlation between ultrasonography and computed tomography and cytology (gold standard) to detect normal, reactive, and neoplastic mandibular and medial retropharyngeal lymph nodes in dogs. We expect to establish criteria for the classification of the canine cervical lymph nodes in one of the aforementioned categories. Further investigations will be performed with the inguinal and medial iliac lymph nodes, to test the diagnostic performance of ultrasonography and computed tomography to differentiate between normal, reactive, and neoplastic lymph nodes. Those imaging findings will be compared with and correlated to histopathology results. We expect to establish criteria for the ultrasonographic and computed tomographic classification of the canine inguinal and medial iliac lymph nodes in one of the aforementioned categories. For both first and second parts, Kappa statistic tests will assess the inter-observer agreement. Chi-Square test will be performed to investigate which categorical variable best contributes to the differentiation of the lymph nodes. Finally, the effect of each ultrasonographic/computed tomographic feature individually and in combination will be assessed with univariate/multivariate logistic regression analysis. (AU)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

ERCOLIN, Anna Carolina Mazeto. Caracterização tomográfica e ultrassonográfica de linfonodos normais, reativos e neoplásicos em cães. 2022. Doctoral Thesis - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Zootecnica e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZE/BT) Pirassununga.