Middle ear effusions in dogs: An incidental finding?

摘要

Clinicians and researchers frequently encounter what are considered ‘incidental findings’. These are usually discovered unintentionally and are unrelated to the disease under investigation. Indeed, they frequently appear to be of little significanceto the problem being investigated, although they may of course become significant at a future date. For example a brain tumour detected during an investigation of middle and inner ear disease is clearly significant, despite the fact that, per se, it isan incidental finding. On the other hand, the discovery of a middle ear effusion in addition to a cerebral neoplasm in an animal presenting with a forebrain disorder might be considered ‘incidental’.