Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Short colon syndrome in cats causing diarrhea and vomiting
By King, Audrey P et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2024·Department of Diagnostic Imaging, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Short colon syndrome in cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 93 cats diagnosed with short colon syndrome, which is a condition where the colon is shorter than normal, often showed symptoms like diarrhea, vomiting, weight loss, and loss of appetite. Most of these cats were around 12 years old, and many also had thickening of the colon walls. During examinations, some cats had ulcers in their colons, and most had a type of inflammation called lymphoplasmacytic colitis. Understanding this condition can help veterinarians provide better care for affected cats, as it seems to be linked to gastrointestinal issues.
People also search for: cat diarrhea causes · short colon syndrome in cats · cat vomiting treatment · lymphoplasmacytic colitis in cats
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Shortening of the colon has been described in cats, but its imaging and clinicopathological features remain poorly understood. OBJECTIVES: Description of the signalment, clinical presentation, imaging, endoscopic and histological features of short colon syndrome in cats. ANIMALS: Ninety-three cats diagnosed with short colon. METHODS: Multi-institutional, descriptive, retrospective case series study. Medical records were searched for a diagnosis of short colon on abdominal ultrasonography, computed tomography, endoscopy, autopsy, or a combination of these modalities. RESULTS: The median age of included cats was 12 years at the time of diagnosis. Diarrhea was the most common clinical sign (60/92; 65%), followed by vomiting (36/92; 39%), weight loss (36/92; 39%), and inappetence (24/92; 26%). Thirteen percent of cats (12/92) had no signs of gastrointestinal disease at the time of diagnosis. In addition to a shortened colonic length, 79% (66/84) of cats had concomitant colonic thickening on ultrasonographic examination. On colonoscopy, mucosal ulcerations of the colonic wall were seen in 39% (9/23) of cats. Histopathologically, all cats but 1 (diagnosed simultaneously with colonic small cell lymphoma) had lymphoplasmacytic colitis, and when small intestinal biopsies were performed, concurrent lymphoplasmacytic enteritis or small cell lymphoma of the small intestine. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Lymphoplasmacytic colitis is seen commonly in cats with short colon, suggesting a potential link between these entities.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38757679/