Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Pancreatic duct size changes with age in cats and what it means
By Hecht, Silke et al.·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2006·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Relationship of pancreatic duct dilation to age and clinical findings in cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study found that older cats, particularly those 15 years and older, often have a wider pancreatic duct compared to younger cats. This dilation can be seen on ultrasound and is more common in older cats, with about 18% of them showing this condition. However, having a dilated pancreatic duct doesn't necessarily mean the cat has pancreatic disease. The research suggests that as cats age, their pancreatic duct naturally widens, which is important for veterinarians to consider when diagnosing potential issues.
People also search for: cat pancreatic duct dilation · older cat pancreatitis symptoms · why is my cat losing weight · cat ultrasound results explained
Abstract
Dilation of the pancreatic duct has been described as an ultrasonographic feature of pancreatitis in cats. The purpose of this study was to determine normal pancreatic duct width in healthy older cats and assess the significance of pancreatic duct dilation observed in a clinical population. In a prospective study, pancreatic ultrasound was performed in 15 healthy cats (mean age 13 +/- 3 years). Mean pancreatic width of left lobe, body, and right lobe was 0.65 +/- 0.16 cm (0.46-1.03 cm), 0.64 +/- 0.14 cm (0.46-0.9 cm), and 0.43 +/- 0.09 cm (0.3-0.57 cm), respectively. Mean pancreatic duct width was 0.13 +/- 0.04 cm (0.06-0.24 cm), which was significantly larger than previously reported for younger cats (0.08 +/- 0.025 cm) (P < 0.001). One hundred and four of 1445 clinical patients (7.2%) were diagnosed with a dilated pancreatic duct and were reviewed in a retrospective study. Incidence of pancreatic duct dilation was significantly higher in older than in younger cats (2.7% in cats < 1-5 years vs. 18.1% in cats 15 years or older; P < 0.001). Mean pancreatic duct width was 0.23 +/- 0.07 cm (0.14-0.52 cm), and there was a significant correlation between age and pancreatic duct width (P = 0.01). There was also a significant relationship between the mean ratio of pancreatic duct width and pancreatic thickness (n = 98) (0.29 +/- 0.09; 0.09-0.58; P = 0.041). There was no significant difference in age between cats with and without pancreatic disease. There was no association between pancreatic disease and pancreatic duct width or pancreatic duct width/pancreatic thickness ratio. Pancreatic duct width and pancreatic duct width/pancreatic thickness ratio in cats are significantly associated with age.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16700181/