Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Ultrasound differences in cat kidney disease and blockages
By Quimby, Jessica M et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2017·1 Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Renal pelvic and ureteral ultrasonographic characteristics of cats with chronic kidney disease in comparison with normal cats, and cats with pyelonephritis or ureteral obstruction.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD) underwent ultrasound to check for kidney issues. The study found that about two-thirds of these cats had some swelling in the kidney area, but this was not significantly different from healthy cats. However, cats with kidney blockages showed much more swelling than those with CKD. The results suggest that having a baseline ultrasound for CKD cats can help vets better understand any changes during a health crisis.
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Abstract
Objectives The objective was to describe ultrasonographic characteristics of cats with stable chronic kidney disease (CKD) and determine if these were significantly different from cats with pyelonephritis (Pyelo) and ureteral obstruction (UO), to aid in clinical assessment during uremic crisis. Methods Sixty-six cats with stable CKD were prospectively enrolled, as well as normal control cats (n = 10), cats with a clinical diagnosis of Pyelo (n = 13) and cats with UO confirmed by surgical resolution (n = 11). Renal ultrasound was performed and routine still images and cine loops were obtained. Analysis included degree of pelvic dilation, and presence and degree of ureteral dilation. Measurements were compared between groups using non-parametric one-way ANOVA with Dunn's post-hoc analysis. Results In total, 66.6% of CKD cats had measurable renal pelvic dilation compared with 30.0% of normal cats, 84.6% of Pyelo cats and 100% of UO cats. There was no statistically significant difference in renal pelvic widths between CKD cats and normal cats, or CKD cats and Pyelo cats. On almost all measurement categories, UO cats had significantly greater renal pelvic widths compared with CKD cats and normal cats ( P <0.05) but not Pyelo cats. Six percent of stable CKD cats had measurable proximal ureteral dilation on one or both sides vs 46.2% of Pyelo cats and 81.8% of UO cats. There was no statistically significant difference in proximal ureteral width between normal and CKD cats, or between Pyelo and UO cats. There was a statistically significant difference in proximal ureteral width between CKD and Pyelo cats, CKD and UO cats, normal and UO cats, and normal and Pyelo cats. Conclusions and relevance No significant difference in renal pelvic widths between CKD cats and Pyelo cats was seen. These data suggest CKD cats should have a baseline ultrasonography performed so that abnormalities documented during a uremic crisis can be better interpreted.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27389573/