Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
X-ray signs that help find the cause of fluid in cats' chest
By Hung, Lily et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2022·Animalius, Australia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Retrospective analysis of radiographic signs in feline pleural effusions to predict disease aetiology.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with fluid in their chest (pleural effusion) was studied to find out what was causing the problem. The most common reason was congestive heart failure, which was found in over half of the cats. Other causes included tumors and infections. The researchers found that an enlarged heart on X-rays was a strong indicator of heart failure, while certain masses in the chest were good signs of cancer. However, relying solely on X-rays has its limits, and further tests may be needed for a complete diagnosis.
People also search for: cat pleural effusion causes · cat heart failure symptoms · cat chest X-ray results · cat cancer diagnosis · cat breathing problems treatment
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The objectives of the study were to determine the prevalence of underlying conditions causing pleural effusion in cats and to calculate the positive predictive values, negative predictive values, sensitivity and specificity of radiographic signs to predict aetiology of the pleural fluid. METHODS: Data from 148 cats with pleural effusion and diagnosed with known aetiologies were retrospectively analysed. Sixty one cats had thoracic radiographs evaluated by consensus through pre-defined radiographic signs by two radiologists blinded to the diagnoses. RESULTS: Congestive heart failure (53.4%) was the most common diagnosis, followed by neoplasia (20.3%), pyothorax (10.8%), idiopathic chylous effusion (5.4%), feline infectious peritonitis (1.4%) and "other" or cats with multiple diagnoses (total 8.8%). Cats with an enlarged cardiac silhouette had a high positive predictive value of congestive heart failure (90%). Mediastinal masses (100%)and pulmonary masses (100%) were highly predictive of neoplastic disease. Pulmonary nodules (50%) were poorly predictive of neoplastic disease. The remainder of the radiographic variables were not informative predictors of underlying disease. CONCLUSIONS: In our sample of cats, congestive heart failure was the most common cause of pleural effusion. Radiographically enlarged cardiac silhouette and presence of a mediastinal mass may be useful predictors of aetiology, however there are limitations to the use of radiography alone as a diagnostic tool.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35346189/