Two-dimensional and Doppler sonographic prostatic appearance of sexually intact French Bulldogs

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between age and prostate size and measure and characterize the prostates of French Bulldogs through two-dimensional and Doppler ultrasound. Thirty-three healthy French Bulldogs were used in this study. The dogs were divided into three groups of 11 animals according to age: 8 to 19 months (group 1), 24 to 36 months (group 2), and 48 to 72 months (group 3). The animals were evaluated once with ultrasound to obtain the following: the two-dimensional sonographic appearance of the prostate, prostatic dimensions, and characteristics from colored Doppler (perfusion characteristics, diameter, and number of pixels of the vessel) and spectral Doppler (wave morphology, resistive index, and pulsatility). There was a high positive correlation between age and prostate volume (r = 0.906). The prostatic volume gradually increased with age (P < 0.05). The characteristics in color and spectral Doppler differed according to the location of the prostatic artery. In cranial and subcapsular location: prostatic artery diameter was 0.22 ± 0.02 and 0.15 ± 0.02; number of pixels: 15,431.09 ± 1753 and 10,095.18 ± 1079.85; resistance index: 0.86 ± 0.06 and 0.64 ± 0.05; pulsatility index: 2.45 ± 0.32 and 1.14 ± 0.11, respectively. All parameters evaluated increased between groups 1 and 3 (P < 0.05), except at the parenchymal location. The resistance and pulsatility indices were significantly lower in group 1 compared with group 3 in all locations studied. In addition, the indices were significantly reduced among the locations of the prostatic artery, with the exception of the cranial and caudal locations. Groups 1 and 3 differed in all evaluations, suggesting that there is a relationship between age and the Doppler parameters evaluated in this study. It can be concluded that two-dimensional ultrasound combined with Doppler ultrasound plays an important role in the evaluation of the canine prostate. Furthermore, the location of the prostatic artery may influence Doppler parameters, and age is an important factor that should be considered when evaluating the canine prostate.