Ultrasonography of the parathyroid glands in dogs - an overview

The purpose of the study was to give an overview over the usefulness of ultrasonographic examination of parathyroid glands in dogs. By means of a 10 MHz high-resolution linear transducer it was possible to visualize parathyroid glands in healthy dogs. There was a positive correlation between body weight and size of the parathyroid glands, additionally the likelihood to detect 4 glands increased with an increase in body weight. Dogs with chronic renal failure had significantly larger parathyroid glands than healthy dogs and dogs with acute renal failure. In dogs with hypercalcemia of malignancy either none or parathyroids which were small in relation to body weight were detected. In contrast visualisation of parathyroid masses in dogs with primary hyperparathyroidism was easy due to their increased size and anechoic appearance. In dogs with severe azotemia the ultrasonographic examination of the parathyroid glands is helpful to differentiate between acute and chronic renal failure, in dogs with hypercalcemia to differentiate between hypercalcemia of malignancy and hypercalcemia due to primary hyperparathyroidism.