UGELAB (Laser Ablation) treatment for trigonal transitional cell carninoma of the bladder in a 10 year old FS American Eskimo dog. Our Case Study Of The Month July 2014

Whats wrong with the patient’s plumbing? Well, we have a plumber with a really cool set of tools to manage the problem. Obstructive TCC in the urethra? Obstruction of the ureteral papilla? Call the UGELAB plumber at Ridgewood Vet Hospital, Ridgewood NJ. Texas A&M University is doing the UGELAB procedure as well. UGELAB and Stents and SUBs… there are all new plumbing solutions in vet med nowadays but in this case see with Dr. Dean Cerf with Lindquist support did with this challenging urinary plumbing issue by means if Ultrasound Guided Endoscopic Laser Ablation… the UGELAB. You don’t have to go to the moon to consult with Dr. Evil & his Alan Parson’s Project to obtain access to a “Laser” for this medical procedure. 🙂

History

A 10-year-old FS American Eskimo dog was presented for stranguria, hematuria, pollajuria and just not herself. She was non responsive to therapy for UTI. Severe azotemia and moderate anemia developed. Urinalysis revealed proteinuria, elevated WBC, blood and transitional cells, and isosthenuria.

Comments

Special thanks to Dr. Dean Cerf and staff at Ridgewood Veterinary Hospital, Ridgewood, New Jersey where the ultrasound-guided laser ablation procedure was founded. More information on this procedure may be found in JAVMA Jan1 2012, Cerf D, Lindquist E. (http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.240.1.51?journalCode=javma) or contact Ridgewood Veterinary Hospital directly at 201-447-6000. Texas A&M University, Department of Radiology also performs this procedure

Clinical Differential Diagnosis

ARF, CRF, bladder neoplasia, obstructive urolithiasis, resistent UTI, infectious.

DX

Non-resectable trigonal bladder transitional cell carcinoma with ureteral obstruction.

Sampling

Endoscopic bx- transitional cell carcinoma

Sonographic Differential Diagnosis

Bladder mass with obstructive pattern to both ureters. Non-resectable without ureteral transposition. Strongly mineralizing aspects of the bladder mass suggest transitional cell carcinoma.

Image Interpretation

A 3.5 centimeter mineralizing bladder mass is occupying the trigone and obstructing the ureters at the region of the ureteral papillae. The ureters did not appear invaded by the mass. Mild bladder rotation has occurred owing to mass expansion. Moderate to severe hydronephrosis is present in both kidneys owing to ureteral obstruction. Ultrasound-guided laser ablation was performed for palliative removal of the mass and decompression of the ureters. A minimal amount of ureteral dilation was noted at the end of the procedure with slight residual hydronephrosis on followup. Ureteral function appeared adequate noted by contractility.