Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Ultrasound spleen scans and cancer tests in cats compared
By Bertal, Mileva et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2018·1 Department of Medical Imaging, France·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Association between ultrasonographic appearance of splenic parenchyma and cytology in cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 10-year-old domestic shorthair cat was diagnosed with a splenic mass after an ultrasound showed a moth-eaten appearance of the spleen. However, further testing revealed that this appearance did not always indicate cancer, as many cats with similar ultrasound results did not have malignant tumors. The study found that while a splenic mass larger than 1 cm could suggest cancer, the moth-eaten look was not a reliable sign. Ultimately, the cat's treatment depended on the specific findings from cytology, which helped determine the best course of action.
People also search for: cat spleen mass ultrasound · cat splenic tumor symptoms · why does my cat have a moth-eaten spleen appearance
Abstract
Objectives The purpose of this study was to determine whether the presence of a splenic mass or a diffusely moth-eaten parenchyma on ultrasonographic scans could represent potential criteria of malignancy in the feline spleen. Methods Feline patients with ultrasonographic images and cytological analysis of the spleen obtained by fine-needle aspiration were retrospectively included in a multicentre study. Results One hundred and ninety-five cats met our inclusion criteria. There was a lack of agreement between the moth-eaten ultrasonographic appearance of the spleen and the presence of a malignant neoplasia on cytological analysis. The sensitivity and specificity of a moth-eaten parenchyma for predicting malignant neoplastic disease were 13.2% and 84.8%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of a splenic mass >1 cm for predicting malignant neoplastic disease were 21.0% and 94.7%, respectively. A marbled appearance of the splenic parenchyma was significantly more frequent among patients examined with a high-frequency transducer (11-18 MHz) than among those examined with a low-frequency transducer (6.6-10 MHz) (27.6% vs 11.1%, respectively; P = 0.004). Similarly, although not statistically significant, a moth-eaten parenchyma was more frequent in the high-frequency transducer group than in the low-frequency group (17.1% vs 8.9%, respectively; P = 0.09). Conclusions and relevance Based on our findings, a moth-eaten ultrasonographic appearance of the spleen in cats does not necessarily reflect a lymphoma or another malignant neoplastic process on cytological analysis. The presence of a splenic mass >1 cm on ultrasound is suggestive of malignancy in cats. Finally, the transducer frequency must be taken into account when assessing the splenic parenchyma, as a high-frequency transducer seems to improve the detection of a marbled or moth-eaten parenchyma.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29172935/