Abstract
In camels, hepatic diseases are relatively common and most of them are misdiagnosed as a
cause of illness because signs may be subtle. In addition, diagnostic laboratory methods
are insufficient as hepatic enzymes can also be elevated in camels with cardiac or
skeletal muscle damage. Examples of liver diseases in camels are hepatic lipidosis,
hepatitis, cirrhosis, hepatic necrosis, choleostasis, hyperplasia of biliary epithelium,
hydatid cysts, glycogen deposition, cholangitis, cholangiohepatitis, calcified hydatid
cyst and hepatic abscesses. When the liver is examined by ultrasonography, the clinician
gets sufficient information about the size, position, echopatterns of the hepatic
parenchyma, bile ducts and outlines of the hepatic blood vessels. Ultrasonography has been
used previously in camels only for reproductive purposes. However, during the past decade,
it has been used for scanning of the healthy organs as well as evaluation and determining
the diagnosis and prognosis of non-reproductive disorders. Examples of diseases evaluated
by ultrasonography in camels are paratuberculosis, trypanosomiasis, abdominal and urinary
disorders, thoracic diseases, renal tumors, pyelonephritis, renal abscessation,
gastrointestinal tumors, chronic peritonitis and splenic abscessation. Ultrasound-guidance
in biopsy of hepatic lesions and in portocentesis has also been reported in camels. This
mini review article is written to shed light on ultrasonography of the liver and its blood
vessels in healthy camels as well as finding in camels with hepatic disorders such as
fatty infiltration of the liver, hepatic abscesses and calcification of the bile
ducts.
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