PNEUMOCYSTOGRAPHY TECHNIQUE FOR DIAGNOSIS OF RADIOLUCENT UROLITHIASIS IN A DOG

Introduction Urolithiasis is reported to arise due to deposition of sediments in the urinary tract which may consist of one or more types of the poorly soluble crystalloids of urine. A wide variety of pathological conditions have been presumed to cause this clinical situation (Osborne et al., 1996). Small sized calculi which may be numerous in number may pass out of the urinary system without any discomfort, but larger size uroliths which are most commonly found in bladder lead to obstruction of the urethral tract thereby causing the typical signs of obstructive urolithiasis (Ettinger and Feldman, 2000). The condition seems to be subclinical in most of the dogs and clinical evident situation comes only when the offending urinary stone causes obstruction anywhere in the urinary tract. The formation of urolith occurs over a long period of time when inorganic and organic urinary solutes get accumulated around a nidus (Lulich et al., 1995). Numerous techniques have been reported for diagnosis of the urinary stones in small animals which include ultrasonography, conventional radiography and special radiographic procedures like positive, negative or double contrast radiography (Waldron, 2003) The present communication puts forth a clinical case of multiple urolith obstruction in a dog diagnosed by pneumocystography technique and its successful surgical management.