Accuracy of ultrasound detecting splenic and hepatic round cell neoplasia in dogs compared to cytology and histopathology

Question In dogs, how accurate is abdominal ultrasound in detecting round cell neoplasia in the liver and spleen when compared to cytological or histopathological diagnosis? Clinical bottom line The category of research question was: Diagnosis. The number and type of study designs that were critically appraised were: Twelve studies were appraised in total. Ten of them were retrospective cohort studies, and only two were prospective studies. Critical appraisal of the selected papers meeting the inclusion criteria collectively provide zero/weak/moderate/strong evidence in terms of their experimental design and implementation: Moderate. The outcomes reported are summarised as follows… Ultrasonography is useful for initial evaluation of canine liver and spleen but shows limited diagnostic certainty on its own. Across the studies, distinguishing benign from malignant change and differentiating among diffuse hepatopathies was inconsistent, and false negatives occurred despite normal-appearing organs. Detection of splenic involvement with aggressive mast cell disease was particularly unreliable, and ultrasound assessment of hepatic lymphoma was imperfect with overlapping appearances. Definitive case classification in the evidence base depended on cytology or histopathology rather than ultrasound alone. In view of the strength of evidence and the outcomes from the studies the following conclusion is made… Histopathological and cytological examination remains the gold standard for diagnosis, as ultrasound on its own is an unreliable tool for diagnosis of round cell tumours involving the spleen and the liver.