Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Ultrasound for detecting kidney disease in cats - how reliable is it?
By Wills, Sheila J et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2009·School of Clinical Veterinary Science, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of the repeatability of ultrasound scanning for detection of feline polycystic kidney disease.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is a common inherited condition in cats, especially in Persian and related breeds. While a gene test can help diagnose one form of PKD, it doesn't catch all types of cystic kidney disease. Ultrasound scanning is a useful tool because it can not only detect PKD but also monitor how the disease worsens over time. This study found that ultrasound scanning is very reliable for detecting PKD, with consistent results every time it was used. Additionally, it showed that 75% of the cats with PKD had signs of the disease getting worse over a year.
Abstract
Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is the most prevalent inherited genetic disease in cats with Persian and Persian-related breeds predominantly affected. Diagnosis of PKD relied on ultrasound scanning until the recent development of the PKD gene test. However, gene testing has limitations as it will only identify the autosomal dominant form of PKD and not other forms of cystic kidney disease. Ultrasound scanning also has the advantage of being able to assess the severity and progression of disease in PKD affected cats. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the repeatability of ultrasound scanning in the detection of PKD and to assess progression of the disease over time. This study demonstrated 100% repeatability of ultrasound scanning in the detection of PKD and has also demonstrated progression of disease in 75% of PKD positive cats assessed over a 1-year period.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19660972/