Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Middle ear disease found in cats having head CT scans
By Shanaman, Miriam et al.·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2012·Department of Clinical Studies, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Prevalence of clinical and subclinical middle ear disease in cats undergoing computed tomographic scans of the head.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 310 cats underwent CT scans of their heads, and 101 of them showed signs of middle ear disease. Interestingly, 34 of these cats did not show any obvious symptoms related to their ears, meaning their ear issues were likely subclinical (not showing noticeable signs). Many of these cats also had nasal problems. While the CT scans revealed chronic changes in the middle ear, most of the cats did not return for treatment of these issues. If your cat has had a CT scan and shows signs of ear disease, it’s a good idea to discuss it with your vet for further examination.
People also search for: cat ear problems · signs of ear disease in cats · cat CT scan results · treatment for cat middle ear disease
Abstract
Three hundred and ten cats that had CT imaging of the head between January 2000 and December 2007 were evaluated retrospectively. Data that were recorded included signalment, presenting complaint, clinical signs, presence of upper respiratory tract disease, and CT findings. One hundred and one cats had evidence of middle ear disease on CT. Thirty-four of the 101 cats (34%) did not have a primary complaint of ear-related disease, clinical signs or physical findings consistent with ear disease, suggesting that the middle ear disease was subclinical. Twenty-seven of the 34 cats (79%) had concurrent nasal disease. Middle ear lesions were chronic in appearance. With the exception of tympanic bulla lysis, CT findings were similar in cats presenting with primary aural disease versus cats with presumptive subclinical middle ear disease. The majority of the cats did not return for treatment of the identified middle ear abnormalities. Subclinical middle ear disease is relatively frequent in cats undergoing CT imaging of the head. Few cats required subsequent treatment for ear disease although follow up was limited. Identification of subclinical middle ear abnormalities on CT should prompt acquisition of a detailed patient history and bilateral otoscopic examination.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22092494/