Hyperadrenocorticism is considered as one of the most common endocrine diseases in dogs, and ultrasonography is subjective and often nonspecific as an indicator of the presence of the disease. A more recent and sophisticated method of imaging tissue stiffness, the technique known as elastography, has recently been used to improve lesion differentiation. The aim of this abstract is to compare adrenal data from a healthy dog and from a dog with adrenal tumor using ARFI elastography and B-mode ultrasound.

With the B-mode ultrasound examination, there were no observed alterations in the left and right adrenal glands from healthy dog, as well as right adrenal gland from dog with adrenal tumor. The left adrenal gland from dog with suggestive diagnosis of pheochromocytoma has presented structure sizing 6.44 x 3.78 cm, with heterogeneous echogenicity and echotexture, which one presented higher stiffness (areas of dark grey to black) when compared with a normal gland (areas of light grey) and mean shear velocity was 4.53 m/s. The mean shear velocity values were 1.19 m/s and 1.16 m/s for the glands poles, and 1.24 m/s and 1.30 m/s for the medial region of the glands from the healthy dog and from right adrenal gland from the dog with adrenal tumor, respectively.

ARFI elastography was able to differentiate neoplastic tissue stiffness. We consider that this new tool may play an important role in differentiating normal dogs from dogs suspected of adrenal endocrinopathies, such as hyperplasia caused by hyperadrenocorticism pituitary-dependent or adrenal neoplasia.