Ultrasound Animal Challenge 5 – Answer
The answer to the question "Which pathology would you suspect if you see the bunny sign?" is:
D) Congestive heart failure
The bunny (Playboy bunny) sign describes the confluence of the dilated hepatic veins and inferior vena cava, which are commonly seen in congestive heart failure due to right heart failure.* The very dilated vena cava represents the head of the bunny. This term is commonly used in emergency ultrasound.
*The bunny sign was previously applied for the normal anatomy of the hepatic vein / IVC confluence. This sign is also called the Mumoli´s sign. Since the dilated veins resemble the shape of a bunny more closely it is more widely used to denote cardiac congestion.
Yours,
Ulrike Handler, Thomas Binder and the 123sonography team
PS: If you missed the previous Animal Challenge posts you can always visit our “zoo”: