Abstract

A 10-yr-old, spayed, female puma (Felis concolor) was presented for intermittent hyporexia and vomition of 6 wk duration. Diagnostics, including baseline imaging and clinical pathology, were performed under anesthesia. No conclusive diagnosis was made. As clinical signs persisted an additional 2 wk, the puma was anesthetized for computed tomography, which identified focal thickening at the pyloroduodenal junction (PDJ) and changes in adjacent soft tissue.

The new option of diagnostic imaging by capsule endoscopy^a presented an opportunity for this case. This technology is an ingestible camera system contained within a 11 mmx31 mm capsule that captures 360° high-resolution images and up to 18 h of data, or approximately 50,000 images.⁵ The technology has been used in human medicine for nearly 2 decades,⁴ but only recently become available to veterinarians^1-3. In domestic canines greater than 4.5 kg, it has proven a reliable and safe means of diagnosing lesions throughout the gastrointestinal tract and particularly in the small intestine.⁵ The puma had a 24-h fast from food and then voluntarily ingested the camera in a preferred diet item. The camera was eliminated after approximately 26 h.

During the camera transit, 17,075 images were obtained in 17.7 h of study time. As part of the integrated service for the device, images were interpreted by a veterinary internist, which confirmed thickened gastric mucosa and an apparently healing PDJ ulceration. This easy technique produced high quality images and a diagnosis without the need for additional anesthesia or more invasive diagnostic modalities.

Endnote

a. ALICAM, Infiniti Medical, Menlo Park, CA, USA

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