CT diagnosis of a bronchial foreign body in a dog

CT is very helpful in the evaluation of thoracic disease and is the imaging modality of choice when thoracic radiographs and/or ultrasound are insufficient for diagnosis or when a lesion has been identified, but additional information is needed. CT images offer excellent anatomic and pathologic detail of lung disease and can also be used to assess the pleural space, mediastinum and intrathoracic vasculature. Thoracic CT is quick to perform and often delivers useful results. A nine-year-old Labrador Retriever was presented for evaluation of a chronic persistent cough which had been present over the past 4 months. The dog stayed systemically well and cardiopulmonary auscultation was normal. Thoracic radiographs were obtained and showed an area of mild unstructured interstitial pattern in the right caudal lung lobe. At this point the decision was made to proceed to CT to further characterise these changes and to determine whether bronchoscopy would be worthwhile.