Assessment of the Prevalence of Gravel Sign in Dogs with Acute Gastric Dilatation Volvulus

Introduction
Acute gastric dilatation volvulus (GDV) is a common, life threatening condition affecting primarily large breed dogs (1). although being considered as an acute syndrome, chronic gastric instability with presumed incomplete volvulus has also been described in dogs (2). Gravel sign is a radiographic finding characterized by the presence of mate- rial with mineral opacity within the gastrointestinal tract (Git), indicating the presence of chronic and partial Git obstruction (3). the aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of gravel sign in dogs presenting for acute GDV.

Material and Methods
The medical records of dogs with acute GDV that underwent surgical treatment between 2007-2012 were reviewed. Dogs with surgical confirmation of the diagnosis were included if medical records and right lateral abdominal radiographs were availa- ble. radiographs were assessed for the presence and location of gravel sign. other radi- ographic findings such as loss of peritoneal detail, presence of radiopaque foreign bod- ies (fB), gastric pneumatosis, splenomegaly, and megaesophagus were evaluated when possible (4, 5).

Results and conclusions
Sixty-one dogs met the inclusion criteria. Gravel sign was detected in the pre-operative radiographs of 17 dogs with acute GDV (27.87%).

In this study, 25% of the patients with acute GDV showed gravel sign in the stomach in the preoperative radiographic assessment, suggesting that these patients could be suf- fering from chronic and partial gastric obstruction before presentation. although the etiopathogenesis of GDV is still not completely understood, it appears to be multifacto- rial and influenced by different risk factors (1,6). a chronic partial obstruction may lead to delayed gastric emptying and subsequent gastric distension. patients with acute GDV showing gravel sign should be fully investigated for the presence of underlying processes causing chronic obstruction. further prospective studies are needed to better understand the relation between both entities.