Update on Hepatobiliary Imaging

Radiography and ultrasonography are the most well-established and frequently used imaging modalities for diagnosing hepatic disease in veterinary medicine. Contrast-enhanced harmonic ultrasound imaging of the liver is being established in veterinary medicine for the assessment of liver perfusion, hemodynamic alterations in the presence of portosystemic shunts (PSSs), and differentiation of benign from malignant hepatic nodules. New techniques in nuclear medicine include splenic portal scintigraphy and hepatic function tests. CT is now being used to diagnosis PSSs noninvasively. The roles of CT and MR imaging in the diagnosis of hepatic disease are currently being validated. Although less broadly available than ultrasound, advanced imaging is becoming more accessible, not only through academic institutions, but through the increasing number of specialty practices worldwide.