Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Treating pyonephrosis in cats with a ureteral bypass device
By Cray, Megan et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2018·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Treatment of pyonephrosis with a subcutaneous ureteral bypass device in four cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Four cats were brought in for symptoms like lack of appetite, tiredness, and weight loss due to a serious condition called pyonephrosis, which is an infection in the kidney caused by a blockage. The blockage was found to be caused by kidney stones in three cats and a ureter stricture in one. All cats underwent a procedure to clean the kidney and had a special device placed to help drain urine. After the surgery, all cats showed improvement, with three of them recovering from their urinary infections, although one cat still had bacteria in its urine without showing any signs of illness.
People also search for: cat kidney infection treatment · pyonephrosis in cats · ureter obstruction in cats · cat weight loss and lethargy
Abstract
CASE DESCRIPTION 4 cats were examined because of ureteral obstruction. CLINICAL FINDINGS Clinical and clinicopathologic abnormalities were nonspecific and included anorexia, lethargy, weight loss, anemia, leukocytosis, neutrophilia, lymphopenia, and azotemia. A diagnosis of pyonephrosis was made in all cats. The presence of bacteriuria was confirmed by means of urinalysis in 2 cats, bacterial culture of a urine sample obtained by means of preoperative cystocentesis in 2 cats, and bacterial culture of samples obtained from the renal pelvis intraoperatively in 3 cats. Ureteral obstruction was caused by a urolith in 3 cats; ureteral stricture associated with a circumcaval ureter was identified in 1 cat. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME All 4 cats underwent renal pelvis lavage and placement of a subcutaneous ureteral bypass (SUB) device for treatment of obstructive pyonephrosis. Postoperatively, the cystostomy tube became occluded with purulent material in 1 cat, requiring exchange. The procedure was successful in relieving the obstruction and pyonephrosis in all cats. Three of 4 cats had documented resolution of urinary tract infection. One cat had persistent bacteriuria without clinical signs 1 month after SUB device placement. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results of this small series suggested that renal pelvis lavage with placement of an SUB device may be a treatment option for cats with obstructive pyonephrosis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29504856/