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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Ultrasound finds more abdominal problems than X-rays in cats

By Won, Wylen Wade et al.·Published in The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne·2015·University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed

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Original publication title: Retrospective comparison of abdominal ultrasonography and radiography in the investigation of feline abdominal disease.

Species:
cat

Plain-English summary

A group of 105 cats showing vague signs of abdominal issues underwent both X-rays and ultrasound to find out what was wrong. The ultrasound was much more effective, helping to determine the diagnosis in 59% of cases compared to just 25.7% with X-rays. Additionally, ultrasound provided important extra information in 76% of the cases and changed the diagnosis in nearly half of them. This suggests that ultrasound could be a better first choice for diagnosing abdominal problems in cats.

People also search for: cat abdominal pain diagnosis · cat ultrasound vs X-ray · feline abdominal disease symptoms

Abstract

Abdominal radiography and ultrasonography are commonly used as part of the initial diagnostic plan for cats with nonspecific signs of abdominal disease. This retrospective study compared the clinical usefulness of abdominal radiography and ultrasonography in 105 feline patients with signs of abdominal disease. The final diagnosis was determined more commonly with ultrasonography (59%) compared to radiography (25.7%). Ultrasonography was also able to provide additional clinically relevant information in 76% of cases, and changed or refined the diagnosis in 47% of cases. Based on these findings, ultrasonography may be sufficient as an initial diagnostic test for the investigation of feline abdominal disease.

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Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26483582/