Table 4.
Medians (1st; 3rd quartiles) of ultrasound variables of the abdominal region of dogs fed diets containing choline chloride (control) or an herbal source of choline (test).
| Item | Control | p-Value | Test | p-Value | Final–Initial * | p-Value | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial | Final | Initial | Final | Control | Herbal source | ||||
| Liver size | 0 (0;0.25) | 0 (0;1.0) | 1.000 | 0 (0;0.25) | 0.5 (0;1.25) | 0.248 | 0 (0;0.25) | 0 (0;1.25) | 0.727 |
| Splenic size | 0 (0;0.25) | 0 (0;0.25) | 1.000 | 0 (0;0.25) | 0.5 (0;1.0) | 0.282 | 0 (0;0) | 0 (0;1.0) | 0.174 |
| Echogenicity of parenchymical organs | 0 (0;0.25) | 0.5 (0;0.25) | 1.000 | 0 (0;1.0) | 0.5 (0;1.0) | 0.927 | 0 (0;0) | 0 (0;0) | 1.000 |
| Vena cava dilation | 0 (0;0) | 0 (0;0) | 1.000 | 0 (0;0) | 0 (0.75;1.0) | 0.015 | 0 (0;0) | 1 (0.75;1.0) | 0.015 |
| Abdominal | 0 (0;0) | 0 (0;0) | 1.000 | 0 (0;0) | 1 (0.75;1.0) | 0.015 | 0 (0;0) | 1 (0.75;1.0) | 0.015 |
| aortic dilation | |||||||||
| Gallbladder | 0 (0;0) | 0 (0;0) | 1.000 | 0 (0;0.25) | 0 (0;1.0) | 0.595 | 0 (0;0) | 0 (0;0.25) | 0.405 |
| Stomach | 0 (0;0) | 0 (0;0) | 1.000 | 0 (0;0.25) | 0 (0;1.0) | 0.182 | 0 (0;0) | 0 (−0.25;1.0) | 0.404 |
| Pancreas | 0 (0;0) | 0 (0;1.0) | 0.901 | 0 (0;1.0) | 0 (0;1.0) | 0.922 | 0 (0;1.0) | 0 (−1.0;1.0) | 0.688 |
* Final (day 45) minus initial (day 0) measurement of each animal; 0 = no changes in size and/or echogenicity; 1 = increase in size and/or echogenicity; and 2 = significant increase in size and/or echogenicity.