Usefulness of magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging for diagnosing primary vascular ectasia in a dog

Abstract

A 2-year-old spayed female crossbred dog was presented for profuse, acute, and chronic vaginal hemorrhage. Coagulation disorders were excluded. Conventional diagnostic imaging failed to precisely identify the source of bleeding. After whole-blood transfusion, magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging allowed the visualization of unique vascular patterns within the vaginal wall. Presumptive diagnosis of vaginal vascular ectasia was made and confirmed by histopathological examination. Surgical management with subtotal vaginectomy cured the dog. Key clinical message: Vascular ectasia is rarely reported in veterinary medicine and is challenging to diagnose. This is apparently the first report of the usefulness of magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging as a diagnostic tool for vascular ectasia in a dog.

Figure 1

Images from the vaginoscopic examination presented either without (A and C) or with (B, D, E, and F) narrow-band imaging (NBI). A and B — Dorsal aspect of the vaginal wall with an irregular and thickened appearance (asterisks). Enhancement of the abnormal vascularization pattern (B; short arrows) with NBI. C and D — Right lateral wall of the vagina without (C) or with (D) NBI. Note the vascular pattern enhancement with NBI, the irregular and hyperhemic mucosa (asterisks) and the magnification of the boundary between regions of normal and aberrant vascularization pattern with NBI (arrowheads). E and F — Visualization of numerous dilated ectatic vascular tufts enhanced by NBI (asterisks).