Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Removing urinary stones through a perineal urethrostomy in male cats
By Cantrall, Reanna et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2025·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Cystoscopy-assisted urolith retrieval via a perineal urethrostomy stoma in male cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Two male cats with urinary blockages caused by bladder stones were treated using a new method called cystoscopy-assisted urolith retrieval via a perineal urethrostomy (CUPU). This procedure allowed the veterinarian to remove the stones without needing to perform traditional abdominal surgery. Both cats successfully had their stones removed, showed no complications during recovery, and were reported to be doing well three months later with no signs of painful urination. This approach may offer a less invasive option for cats suffering from similar urinary issues.
People also search for: cat urinary blockage treatment · cat bladder stones surgery · cystoscopy for cat urolithiasis
Abstract
ObjectivesWe sought to characterize cystoscopy-assisted urolith retrieval via a perineal urethrostomy stoma (CUPU) initially in a cadaveric model and then in clinical cases. We hypothesized that a CUPU would provide a reasonable alternative to the traditional approach of performing a cystotomy after perineal urethrostomy in male cats with complex or recurrent urolithiasis-associated urethral obstruction (UO).MethodsA perineal urethrostomy (PU) was performed in 20 male cat cadavers. A randomly assigned number of synthetic calculi (SynC) was placed retrograde into the urinary bladder, and an endoscopist blinded to the SynC number, performed CUPU using a flexible ureteroscope and basket retrieval device. Procedure characteristics were summarized with descriptive statistics. After completion of the cadaver phase, two male cats with naturally occurring complex or recurrent urolithiasis-associated UO that warranted PU were recruited to undergo CUPU. Clinical features and outcomes of these cases were described.ResultsFour cadavers were excluded because of urethral tearing during SynC placement. A narrow urethral lumen precluded ureteroscope passage in two cadavers. In the 14 remaining cadavers, a median of 7.5 SynC (range 3-9) were placed in the urinary bladder. The CUPU median procedural time was 13.2 mins (range 6.1-24.0) and all 99 (100%) SynC were successfully retrieved from the 14 cadavers. Scope-associated tearing of the urethra or surgical site was not observed in any cadavers. Two client-owned cats with struvite urolithiasis-associated UO underwent a PU followed by CUPU. All uroliths were successfully retrieved, and periprocedural complications were not observed. Both cats had normal stoma sites 4 weeks postoperatively and neither cat had owner-reported dysuria 3 months postoperatively.Conclusions and relevanceThis study highlighted that CUPU is a feasible procedure with the potential to obviate the need for abdominal surgery in some cats with cystolithiasis and urolithiasis-associated UO that warrant PU.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40243255/