Ultrasonographic and clinical findings in cats with feline lower urinary tract disease

Urethral obstruction is a life-threatening feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD). The rate of recurring urethral obstruction was 14.8-58.1% after the first occurrence. Ultrasonographic findings associated with reobstruction had been rarely reported although ultrasonography was a valuable technique for diagnosing urinary bladder calculi and distinguishing different FLUTD causes. This retrospective study aims to describe the ultrasonographic findings, urinalysis, and serum chemistry profile in cats with FLUTD and determine the associations of reobstruction with ultrasonographic findings, urinalysis, and serum chemistry profile. The present study included 141 cats that were followed up for more than 1 year. The ultrasonographic criteria included the presence of cystolithiasis, urine echogenicity, sediment, suspended linear strand, pericystic effusion, hyperechoic pericystic fat, ureteral dilation, pyelectasia, and perirenal effusion. The urinalysis criteria included hematuria, urine-specific gravity, pH, sediment, and proteinuria. The most common ultrasonographic findings in cats with FLUTD were echogenic urine and sediment. However, this study did not find an association between reobstruction and ultrasonographic findings, urinalysis, and serum chemistry profiles. Thus, an ultrasonographic examination may be insufficient to predict the risk of reobstruction although it is a useful modality for diagnosing FLUTD and making treatment direction.