Thoracic radiographs of a Rhodesian Ridgeback

by Allison Zwingenberger on October 16, 2008

Today’s case is an 11 year old male neutered Rhodesian Ridgeback who has been choking and bringing up white foam.

Everyone has been writing great interpretations of these radiographs in the comments section, keep it up!  It’s good practice to come up with findings and differential diagnoses on unknown cases.

For those of you who are hesitant, here’s a survey question for you. Cast your vote!

How many major abnormalities are there inside the thorax?

View Results

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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }

claudiomoutinho October 16, 2008 at 5:11 am

Megaesophagus and a cranial toraxic mass

vet74 October 16, 2008 at 5:37 am

The esophagus is diffusely distended with gas. The right middle lung lobe is opaque. On the lateral views there is a soft tissue opacity cranial to the heart.
Looks like megaesophagus with aspiration pneumonia.

Allison Zwingenberger October 16, 2008 at 4:51 pm

So the votes so far favor three major abnormalities that both readers comment on above. Where exactly is the mass cranial to the heart?

vet74 October 16, 2008 at 6:57 pm

The location is suggestive of thymoma, which can also be the cause of the megaesophagus

Allison Zwingenberger October 19, 2008 at 1:36 pm

Geat! The three abnormalities within the thorax were the megaesophagus, aspiration pneumonia, and cranial mediastinal mass. There is also a large mass on the outside of the body wall that some of you might have seen. And it’s always good to try to tie all of the abnormalities together to make one story. Check the case on Monday for answers!

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