Abdominal ultrasonographic evaluation of the urinary tract, adrenal glands, spleen, hepatobiliary, and gastrointestinal tract in juvenile eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus)

William D Barkman, Joanne H Connolly, Geoffrey J Dutton, Hayley J Stannard, Ann Carstens

Background: Eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) are a marsupial species native to Australia and New Guinea. This study describes the ultrasound anatomy and develops a systematic approach for abdominal ultrasonographic evaluation in the kangaroo as well as provides preliminary quantitative and qualitative references.

Study: This was a prospective and anatomic study that involved two parts: a postmortem and in vivo study. The postmortem study used macropod cadavers for dissections and preliminary ultrasonographic examinations. The in vivo study involved live ultrasonographic examinations on seven juvenile eastern grey kangaroos under heavy sedation in lateral recumbency.

Methods: The authors used a LOGIQ e system with two transducers (microconvex and linear) to perform the ultrasonographic examinations. They evaluated and measured the kidneys, urinary bladder, adrenal glands, spleen, liver, gall bladder, and gastrointestinal tract using standardized guidelines. They also recorded the echogenicity, echotexture, margination, and positioning of each organ or structure. They compared the ultrasonographic findings with the gross anatomy and the literature on other domestic and wild animals.

Results: The authors provided a detailed description of the ultrasonographic anatomy of the abdominal organs in the kangaroo, along with ultrasonographic images, gross anatomy images, and diagrammatic illustrations. They also provided a systematic approach and ultrasonographic landmarks for the abdominal ultrasonographic evaluation of the kangaroo. They reported the mean and range of the ultrasonographic measurements of each organ or structure in the Supporting Information S2.

Limitations: The main limitation of the study was the small sample size (7) and small weight range (14-25 kg) of the kangaroos, which may not be representative of the entire population. The study was also limited by the availability of kangaroos and time constraints, as sedation was kept as short as possible. The gaseous forestomach of the kangaroo posed a challenge for ultrasonographic visualization of some abdominal structures. The authors did not evaluate the esophagus, bile ducts, pancreas, lymph nodes, and major abdominal vasculature. They also did not compare different anesthetic regimens or recumbency positions.

Conclusions: The authors concluded that this study provides an initial reference for the quantitative and qualitative ultrasonographic features of the abdomen in the juvenile kangaroo and a systematic approach for ultrasonographic examination. They suggested that future research may include additional ultrasonographic anatomy, adult kangaroos with an increased sample size and statistical analysis, and pathology observed on ultrasonography. They stated that a better understanding of ultrasonographic abdominal anatomy in kangaroos may allow advances in the diagnosis and treatment of disease in marsupial species, including those that are endangered.

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