Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Ultrasound shows adrenal gland size in cats with hyperthyroidism
By Combes, Anaïs et al.·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2012·Faculty of Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Ultrasonographic measurements of adrenal glands in cats with hyperthyroidism.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 23 hyperthyroid cats had their adrenal glands examined using ultrasound to see if there were any differences compared to healthy cats. The results showed that the adrenal glands were larger in the hyperthyroid cats, but their shape was similar to those of healthy cats. Some hyperthyroid cats also had small bright spots in their adrenal glands, which were less common in healthy cats. The study suggests that enlarged adrenal glands in these cats could be linked to their hyperthyroidism. If your cat has hyperthyroidism, it's important to monitor their adrenal health as well.
People also search for: cat hyperthyroidism symptoms · enlarged adrenal glands in cats · cat adrenal gland treatment
Abstract
Feline hyperthyroidism is potentially associated with exaggerated responsiveness of the adrenal gland cortex. The adrenal glands of 23 hyperthyroid cats were examined ultrasonographically and compared to the adrenal glands of 30 control cats. Ten hyperthyroid cats had received antithyroid drugs until 2 weeks before sonography, the other 13 were untreated. There was no difference in adrenal gland shape between healthy and hyperthyroid cats: bean-shaped, well-defined, hypoechoic structures surrounded by a hyperechoic halo in 43/60 (71.6%) healthy cats and 34/46 (73.9%) hyperthyroid cats; more ovoid in 13/60 (21.6%) healthy cats and 9/46 (19.6%) hyperthyroid cats while more elongated in 4/60 (6.7%) healthy cats, 3/46 (6.5%) hyperthyroid cats. Hyperechoic foci were present in 9/23 (39.1%) hyperthyroid cats and 2/30 (6.7%) healthy cats. The adrenal glands were significantly larger in hyperthyroid cats, although there was overlap in size range. The mean difference between hyperthyroid cats and healthy cats was 1.6 and 1.7 mm in left and right adrenal gland length, 0.8 and 0.9 mm in left and right cranial adrenal gland height, and 0.4 and 0.9 mm in left and right caudal adrenal gland height. There was no significant difference between the adrenal gland measurements in treated and untreated hyperthyroid cats. The adrenomegaly was most likely associated with the hypersecretion of the adrenal cortex documented in hyperthyroid cats. Hyperthyroidism should be an alternative to hyperadrenocorticism, hyperaldosteronism, and acromegaly in cats with bilateral moderate adrenomegaly.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22122403/