Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Ultrasound versus CT for finding kidney nodules in dogs and cats
By Rossi, Federica et al.·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2023·Clinica Veterinaria dell'Orologio, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Comparison of sonographic and CT findings for the identification of renal nodules in dogs and cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study looked at how well ultrasound (US) and computed tomography (CT) can find kidney nodules in dogs and cats. In the study, 18 dogs and 7 cats with confirmed kidney issues were examined using both imaging methods. CT was able to identify all kidney nodules in these pets, while ultrasound only detected nodules in about 74% of cases. The findings showed that ultrasound often missed or underestimated the number of kidney lesions compared to CT. This suggests that CT may be a more reliable option for diagnosing kidney problems in pets.
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Abstract
Ultrasonography (US) and computed tomography (CT) are used to diagnose neoplastic and non-neoplastic focal renal lesions in dogs and cats; however, comparative studies between these two diagnostic tools are lacking. The aim of this retrospective, methods comparison study was to evaluate and compare the performance of US compared to CT in identifying at least one renal nodule in animals with confirmed focal renal lesions. Imaging studies of animals with uni- or bilateral renal nodules smaller than 3 cm that underwent both US and CT and that had a pathologically confirmed diagnosis were reviewed. Animals with renal cysts and infarcts were excluded. Recorded features for both modalities included the following: shape, size, number, localization, margins, renal profile. For CT only, recorded features also included attenuation (HU) and pattern of enhancement.  For US only, recorded features also included echogenicity, echostructure, and rate of visibility. Final diagnosis was obtained by cytology or histopathology. Using CT, lesions were identified in all 39 (100%) kidneys of 18 dogs and seven cats. Most lesions were multiple, cortical, well-defined, iso-attenuating (precontrast), hypo-attenuating, and moderately enhancing (postcontrast). Using US, lesions were identified in 29 of 39 (74%) kidneys. Overall, nine (31%) lesions were poorly visible; 10 (26%) kidneys appeared normal; in 17 (59%) organs, lesions' number was underestimated. Isoechoic, non-protruding lesions were difficult to identify by US. Ultrasonography underestimated renal lesions compared to CT in 59% of the kidneys (P = 0.001). Final diagnoses included metastatic disease (n = 16), infiltration by feline lymphoma (n = 4), primary neoplasia (n = 3), and non-neoplastic benign lesions (n = 2).
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36790748/