Computed Tomographic Diagnosis of Bronchiectasis in a Dog with Chronic Bronchopneumonia

만성 기관지폐염 견에서 컴퓨터단층촬영을 통한 기관지확장증 진단 1례

A 2-year-old castrated male, Cocker spaniel dog with a history of chronic productive cough for 2 to 3 months and with unsuccessful treatment was referred to Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, Seoul National University. On thoracic radiographs, there were alveolar infiltrations at left cranial and right caudal lung fields, and soft-tissue opacity round to oval images at overall lung field. The bronchi were dilated, tortuous and not tapered. Abnormal air was accumulated focally in the caudodorsal lung fields. To scrutinize the soft-tissue opacity image and accumulated air, computed tomography (CT) was done. On CT images, severe cylindrical or tubular bronchiectasis was confirmed. And the soft-tissue opacity images were found in the dilated bilated and thought to complexes of mucous plugs, inflammatory cells, necrotic and fibrotic tissue. The dog was dead next day to the CT scan, so necropsy and histopathologic examination were perfermed. On the histopathology, there were cylindrical bronhiectasis and severe diffuse chronic fibrinous necropurulent bronchitis and bronchopneumonia. In this case, it was difficult to diagnose the bronchiectasis only with radiography due to the concurrent lesions, such as pulmonary infiltrations and mucous plugs, which was identified by computed tomography. Thus, computed tomography is considered as a useful modality to confirm tile bronchiectasis camouflaged by the concurrent lesion.