Swan SpecchiIstituto Veterinario di Novara
Swan Specchi
DVM, PhD, DÉS, DACVR
About
57
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Introduction
Additional affiliations
October 2018 - present
Ospedale Veterinario i Portoni Rossi
Position
- Head of Department
June 2010 - June 2013
Publications
Publications (57)
Mediastinal cysts (MCs) are rare lesions that can arise from embryonic remnants of various mediastinal structures. MCs usually are incidental findings in dogs and cats; however, they can reach a mass‐like appearance. The description of MCs on CT in dogs is limited. This retrospective, single‐center, descriptive, prevalence study aimed to determine...
Introduction
Porencephaly is defined as a fluid-filled cavity of variable size in the brain cortex. It is regarded as a congenital condition and is typically considered a developmental or an encephaloclastic defect. Our hypothesis is that postnatal traumatic events in the first few months of life may represent a cause of canine and feline porenceph...
Introduction
Intervertebral disc protrusion (IVDP) is a neurological disorder commonly observed at the lumbosacral junction of old, medium-to-large breeds, non-chondrodystrophic dogs. Although uncommon, lumbosacral IVDP can also be seen in chondrodystrophic dogs, among them French Bulldogs (FBs) and could be associated with congenital vertebral mal...
In humans, intracranial hematomas commonly exhibit a T2 blackout effect (BOE) with diffusion‐weighted imaging (DWI) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps. Published descriptions of comparable findings in dogs with intracerebral hemorrhages are lacking. Aims of this retrospective observational study were to describe the appearance of presume...
Case series summary
A retrospective multicenter case series of renal fusion anomalies in cats was investigated. The aim of this study was to describe the imaging characteristics (radiography, ultrasonography and CT) of renal ectopia and fusion in cats. A total of 13 feline patients (median age 9 years) were included in this multicentric retrospecti...
A 5‐year‐old intact male Saint Bernard was presented for paraparesis following a fall down the stairs. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a chronic fragmentation of the dorsocaudal aspect of the second lumbar vertebral body (L2). Material migrated from the L2 to L3 intervertebral space through the fractured caudal vertebral endplate into the verte...
Intestinal lipogranulomatous lymphangitis (ILL) is a granulomatous inflammation of the lymphatic vessels of the intestinal wall and mesentery characterized by lipogranulomas. The purpose of this retrospective, multi-center, case series study is to report the ultrasonographic features of canine ILL. Ten dogs with a histologically confirmed ILL under...
The authors incidentally observed that, on delayed postcontrast CT studies, feline patients could show increased attenuation of the lymphatic system. The aim of the present study was to evaluate if the lymphatic system of feline patients undergoing intravenous administration of contrast medium might consistently enhance on delayed postcontrast CT s...
Susceptibility‐weighted imaging (SWI) has been found to be more reliable in the detection of vessels and blood products than T2*‐weighted gradient echo (GE) in several human brain diseases. In veterinary medicine, published information on the diagnostic usefulness of SWI is lacking. The aim of this retrospective observational study was to investiga...
Intravascular lymphoma (IVL) is characterized by the proliferation of large malignant lymphocytes within the lumen of blood vessels. This retrospective, multi‐center, case series study aimed to describe the MRI features of confirmed central nervous system IVL in dogs and compare them with histopathological findings. Medical record databases from se...
Transcaval ureter is a rarely reported human congenital malformation of the prerenal segment of the inferior vena cava (IVC) not yet reported in veterinary medicine. The objective of this multicenter retrospective case series study was to describe the computed tomography (CT) features of transcaval ureters in dogs and cats. Patients referring to pr...
Gliomas of the brain may appear as expansile ring‐enhancing masses in MRI studies, mimicking the appearance of intra‐axial abscesses. The aims of this study were to compare the MRI features of ring‐enhancing gliomas and intra‐axial brain abscesses in dogs and cats and to identify the characteristics that might help differentiate them. For this mult...
Background
Previous studies evaluating the accuracy of computed tomography (CT) in detecting caudal vena cava (CVC) invasion by adrenal tumors (AT) used a binary system and did not evaluate for other vessels.
Objective
Test a 7‐point scale CT grading system for accuracy in predicting vascular invasion and for repeatability among radiologists. Buil...
Background: Feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) is very resistant and highly contagious and infects domestic cats and other felids. FPV is particularly widespread among sheltered cats, and is associated with high morbidity and mortality, causing severe gastroenteritis characterized by anorexia, lethargy, fever, dehydration, hemorrhagic diarrhea, and v...
An 8-year-old mixed breed dog, was referred for lethargy, abdominal discomfort, hematemesis, and melena. Abdominal ultrasound revealed mineralization of the “right splenic vein” with collateral spiraling and a suspected splenic duplication. Computed tomography confirmed the duplication along with torsion of the splenic pedicle. Exploratory laparoto...
Background
Lobar emphysema in dogs and cats is caused by bronchial collapse during expiration and subsequent air trapping. Congenital causes such as bronchial cartilage defects or acquired causes such as compressive neoplastic lesions have been reported. Morbidity results from hyperinflation of the affected lung lobe and compression of adjacent tho...
An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.
Background Feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) is a very resistant and highly contagious virus that infects domestic cats and other felids. FPV is particularly widespread among sheltered cats, and is associated with high morbidity and mortality, causing a severe gastroenteritis characterized by anorexia, lethargy, fever, dehydration, hemorrhagic diarr...
Background
Feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) is very resistant and highly contagious and infects domestic cats and other felids. FPV is particularly widespread among sheltered cats, and is associated with high morbidity and mortality, causing severe gastroenteritis characterized by anorexia, lethargy, fever, dehydration, hemorrhagic diarrhea, and vo...
Background-Feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) is very resistant and highly contagious and infects domestic cats and other felids. FPV is particularly widespread among sheltered cats, and is associated with high morbidity and mortality, causing severe gastroenteritis characterized by anorexia, lethargy, fever, dehydration, hemorrhagic diarrhea, and vo...
Background-Feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) is very resistant and highly contagious and infects domestic cats and other felids. FPV is particularly widespread among sheltered cats, and is associated with high morbidity and mortality, causing severe gastroenteritis characterized by anorexia, lethargy, fever, dehydration, hemorrhagic diarrhea, and vo...
Objectives:
To describe multidetector CT and ultrasonographic characteristics of abdominal arterial pseudoaneurysms (segmental dilatations of an artery with a ruptured tunica intima) arising secondary to systemic mycosis in dogs.
Materials and methods:
Retrospective study on dogs with confirmed histological diagnosis of a fungal pseudoaneurysm a...
Advances in interventional radiology and surgical techniques now allow complex abdominal diseases to be more successfully treated in small animals. Abdominal vascular alterations, acquired as individual process or as complication of other lesions such as neoplasia, can be life‐threatening or at least greatly limit curative interventions of underlyi...
Clinical and imaging diagnosis of canine insulinomas has proven difficult due to nonspecific clinical signs and the small size of these tumors. The aim of this retrospective case series study was to describe MRI findings in a group of dogs with pancreatic insulinomas. Included dogs were presented for suspected pancreatic insulinoma, MRI was used to...
Objectives
The aim of the study was to provide a detailed anatomical study of the feline bronchial and vascular structures by using CT angiography (CTA).
Methods
Adult cats with no respiratory clinical signs were enrolled in a CTA protocol to provide an anatomical study of the thorax. The dimensions, number of branches and branching pattern (monop...
Arterioportal vascular anomalies are communications between the splanchnic arteries and the portal system that represent a rare cause of presinusoidal portal hypertension in small animals. There is little information concerning the imaging findings of arterioportal communications in small animals and no classification could be found for radiologist...
Multiphasic multidetector computed tomographic angiography is a standard diagnostic test for canine abdominal vascular disorders. Three imaging protocols have been previously described. The test‐bolus protocol allows precise timing but can be time consuming to perform. Bolus‐tracking software is fast and easy to use but can be problematic for exact...
The aims of this study were to assess if ECG-gated 16-multidetector CT (MDCT) provides sufficient temporal and spatial resolution to evaluate canine coronary arteries and provide a detailed description of their anatomy. A total of 24 dogs were included. Images were reviewed to assess: (1) coronary artery opacification and dominance; (2) choice of o...
In humans, a CT "tree-in-bud" pattern has been described as a characteristic of centrilobular bronchiolar dilation, with bronchiolar plugging by mucus, pus, or fluid. Aims of this retrospective, descriptive, multi-center study were to characterize the CT appearance of a "tree-in-bud" pattern in a group of cats, and compare this pattern with radiogr...
Objectives
The objective of the study was to measure the preoperative and postoperative renal pelvic size and describe the ultrasound findings following successful decompression of a ureteral obstruction using the subcutaneous ureteral bypass (SUB) device in cats.
Methods
This retrospective study assessed the measurement of the renal pelvis of 27...
An adult cat was presented for acute history of vomiting and collapse. Radiographs showed the presence of air within small intestinal walls and arborizing gas patterns within the liver, compatible with pneumatosis intestinalis and presumed portal venous gas, respectively. An abdominal ultrasound the following day was suggestive of gas within the in...
A well-defined, tortuous, and tubular soft tissue opaque structure has been observed within the left mid abdominal cavity in digital radiographs of some cats. Authors hypothesized that this radiographic “spaghetti sign” is a predictor for spleno-systemic collateral circulation. The purpose of this multicenter, retrospective, descriptive study was t...
A 4-year-old spayed female ferret was presented with acute diarrhea and partial anorexia. Pneumatosis coli and segmental enteropathy were identified by ultrasonography and radiography. Fecal culture did not identify any pathogenic bacteria. Medical management of concurrent diseases and antibiotic therapy resulted in resolution of clinical signs and...
A 17-month-old neutered male domestic shorthair cat was referred for a computed tomographic (CT) study of the thorax due to respiratory distress. Multidetector CT angiography showed a multifocal interstitial ground glass opacity, tortuous and blunted pulmonary arteries consistent with thromboembolism with perivascular lung infiltration and hypovent...
Objectives
The purpose of this study was to determine whether the presence of a splenic mass or a diffusely moth-eaten parenchyma on ultrasonographic scans could represent potential criteria of malignancy in the feline spleen.
Methods
Feline patients with ultrasonographic images and cytological analysis of the spleen obtained by fine-needle aspira...
A 6-month-old German shepherd dog was presented for progressive paraparesis. Multiple arteriovenous fistulae and hyperostosis of the thoracic vertebrae with secondary thoraco-lumbar spinal cord compression were diagnosed. Arteriovenous spinal fistula is a rare condition but should be considered as a differential diagnosis in young dogs with progres...
A 6-month-old German shepherd dog was presented for progressive paraparesis. Multiple arteriovenous fistulae and hyperostosis of the thoracic vertebrae with secondary thoraco-lumbar spinal cord compression were diagnosed. Arteriovenous spinal fistula is a rare condition but should be considered as a differential diagnosis in young dogs with progres...
The CT "sentinel clot sign" has been defined as the highest attenuation hematoma adjacent to a bleeding organ in humans with hemoabdomen. The aims of this retrospective descriptive multicenter study were to describe CT findings in a sample of dogs with surgically or necropsy confirmed intra-abdominal bleeding and determine prevalence of the "sentin...
Noncardiogenic pulmonary edema is an important cause of respiratory disease in dogs and cats but few reports describe its radiographic appearance. The purpose of this retrospective case series study was to describe radiographic findings in a large cohort of dogs and cats with presumed noncardiogenic pulmonary edema and to test associations among ra...
The CT "sentinel clot sign" has been defined as the highest attenuation hematoma adjacent to a bleeding organ in humans with hemoabdomen. The aims of this retrospective descriptive multicenter study were to describe CT findings in a sample of dogs with surgically or necropsy confirmed intra-abdominal bleeding and determine prevalence of the "sentin...
“TANGLE SIGN” ON THE VENTRO-DORSAL PROJECTION OF ABDOMINAL RADIOGRAPHS OF SPAYED FEMALE CATS CORRESPONDS TO A SPLENO-SYSTEMIC SHUNT.
S. Specchi1,3, A.M. Adrian2, G. Spattini3, P. Pey4, M. Paek5. 1 - Istituto Veterinario di Novara, Italy, 28060. swan.specchi.rad@gmail.com 2 - Dick White Referrals, UK, CB8 0UH 3 - Clinica veterinaria Castellarano, I...
Introduction/Purpose
In humans, computed tomography (CT) has been demonstrated to have high sensitivity for detection of small sources of bleeding in the peritoneal cavity. Furthermore, clotted blood has a different CT appearance than lysed blood clot or free-flowing blood because of greater density and hemoglobin content and the highest-attenuatio...
OBJECTIVE To evaluate interobserver agreement for features used in presumptive diagnosis of acute noncompressive nucleus pulposus extrusion (ANNPE) or ischemic myelopathy by MRI, compare findings on postcontrast T1-weighted (T1W) MRI sequences with fat saturation (FS) for the 2 conditions, and determine whether length and directional patterns of hy...
An adult Persian cat was referred after an abdominal ultrasound revealed a polycystic renal and hepatic disease along with a suspected renal mass on the left kidney. Two non-enhancing, hyperattenuating cysts were detected on CT on the left and on the right kidney, respectively. A presumptive diagnosis of intracystic bleeding was made, and the subse...
Objective:
To assess the variability in vertebral heart score (VHS) measurement induced by cardiac and respiratory cycles in dogs.
Design:
Prospective observational study.
Animals:
14 healthy Beagles.
Procedures:
Dogs underwent fluoroscopic examination by 4 observers, and VHS was measured at end-tidal inspiration and end-tidal expiration dur...
In humans, the process of development of collateral vessels with hepatopetal flow around the portal vein in order to bypass an obstruction is called "cavernous transformation of the portal vein." The purpose of this retrospective, cross-sectional, multicentric study was to describe presumed cavernous transformation of the portal vein in small anima...
Preureteral vena cava (circumcaval ureter, retrocaval ureter) occurs in a third of the feline population and has been associated with ureteral strictures in humans. The aim of this retrospective cross-sectional study was to describe the contrast-enhanced multidetector row computed tomographic (MDCT) characteristics of presumed preureteral vena cava...
This report describes an ileocecocolic volvulus in a German shepherd dog with risk factors of previous abdominal surgeries and concurrent chronic enteropathy. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) with multiplanar reformatting was more sensitive than abdominal radiographs or ultrasound to obtain a diagnosis, because of the presence of a "whirl...
Mechanical obstruction is a frequent cause of acute vomiting in dogs requiring prompt diagnosis to improve patient management and prognosis. The purpose of this retrospective study was to compare small intestinal radiographic characteristics in dogs with versus without mechanical intestinal obstruction. Fifty dogs with gastrointestinal clinical sig...
Collateral venous pathways develop in dogs with obstruction or increased blood flow resistance at any level of the caudal vena cava in order to maintain venous drainage to the right atrium. The purpose of this retrospective study was to describe the sites, causes of obstruction, and configurations of venous collateral pathways for a group of dogs w...
A 10-year-old spayed female dalmatian dog developed acute vomiting and abdominal pain. Ultrasound examination of the abdomen showed right hydronephrosis and proximal ureter dilation with mild retroperitoneal free fluid. Computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen confirmed the ultrasonographic findings and revealed, additionally, a right ureteral stone...
Objective:
To noninvasively assess the influence of ingestion of a standard meal on gallbladder volume (GBV) in healthy cats.
Animals:
10 healthy adult domestic shorthair cats (4 neutered females, 5 neutered males, and 1 sexually intact male).
Procedures:
Nonsedated cats were positioned in dorsal and left lateral recumbency to obtain ultrasono...
We evaluated 50 feline head and neck computed tomography examinations to determine the prevalence of vascular variation in the internal and external jugular veins. We identified three distinct anatomic conformations of the internal jugular vein. No variation of external jugular vein morphology was detected. Feline patients can have different intern...
We characterized the pattern of ultrasonographic contrast enhancement of the small intestinal wall using a commercial contrast medium (Sonovue(®) ) in 10 healthy awake cats. Subjectively, a rapid intense enhancement of the serosal and submucosal layers was followed by gradual enhancement of the entire wall section during the early phase. At peak en...
PRIMARY bacterial rhinitis is rare in dogs; it is usually secondary to nasal trauma, inhalation of an irritant, neoplasia, or viral, fungal or parasitic infections. Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus ( S zooepidemicus ), a common cause of respiratory infections in horses, has been