BackgroundChronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the most common diseases occurring in cats. It is characterized by renal fibrosis, which is strongly correlated with impairment of renal function. Since renal biopsy is not performed routinely in clinical practice, the non-invasive method of ultrasonographic shear-wave elastography (SWE) was used to determine renal parenchymal stiffness. Currently, urinary procollagen type III amino-terminal propeptide (uPIIINP) is a renal fibrosis biomarker in humans. Moreover, PIIINP is increasingly applied for identification of fibrosis in various organs in animals.ResultsThe Young’s modulus (E) value on SWE, uPIIINP, and renal function were evaluated in 23 CKD cats and 25 healthy cats (HC). The renal cortical E values were significantly higher than those of the renal medulla in both groups (P < 0.001). The E values of the renal cortex and medulla were significantly higher in CKD cats than in HC (P < 0.001 and P < 0.01, respectively). The E values, especially of the cortex, showed a significant positive correlation with concentrations of plasma creatinine (P < 0.001), blood urea nitrogen (P < 0.05), while they had a negative correlation with urine specific gravity (P < 0.001) and urine osmolality per plasma osmolality ratio (P < 0.01). The uPIIINP to creatinine ratios (uPIIINP/Cr) were significantly higher in CKD cats than in HC (P < 0.01) and were highly correlated with renal cortical E values (P < 0.001).ConclusionsSWE might be an additively useful and non-invasive diagnostic imaging tool to evaluate renal parenchymal stiffness, which correlates with renal functional impairment in CKD cats. Moreover, the uPIIINP/Cr might be a promissing biomarker for adjunctive assessing the renal fibrosis in feline CKD.

Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of gonadal status on ultrasonographic renal parenchymal dimensions in healthy cats. Methods Forty healthy cats (10 intact males, 10 intact females, 10 castrated males and 10 spayed females) presented to the Division of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproduction, and the Diagnostic Imaging Unit at The Small Animal Teaching Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University. They were ultrasonographically examined to assess renal length, aortic luminal diameter, cortical thickness and medullary thickness. Results Regardless of gonadal status, the renal length, aortic luminal diameter, cortical thickness and medulla thickness of males were greater than those of females ( P <0.05). In general, neutered cats had thicker medullae (0.36 ± 0.08 cm) and higher mean renal length:aortic luminal diameter ratio (12.15 ± 1.48) than intact cats (0.32 ± 0.08 cm and 11.22 ± 1.37 cm, respectively) ( P <0.05), but no differences were observed in renal length, cortical thickness or aortic luminal diameter. Interestingly, when comparing between genders with relatively equal body weight, only gender had an impact on renal length. Conclusions and relevance Gonadal status has an effect on medullary thickness and mean renal length:aortic luminal diameter ratio.

Background Circumcaval ureter is a rare congenital anomaly resulting from the persistence of embryonic venous system. This anomaly is characterized by running of affected ureter around caudal vena cava (CVC). Case presentation In this report, circumcaval ureter was found in a 2‐year‐old female cat attending as normal sample group in another research. This cat passed all health checkup protocols before computed tomography (CT) was performed. Conclusion The contrast‐enhanced computed tomographic (cCT) images clearly revealed the dislocation of the right ureter that course around CVC and uterine body. This is the first report of feline circumcaval concurrent with circumuterine ureter detected by cCT.

Background: Degenerative joint disease (DJD) is a common orthopedic lesion in the coxofemoral joint of canine patients. Concurrent with the sign of degeneration, the vacuum phenomenon (VP), or intra-articular gas, has been observed in several locations in both human and canine patients. A cadaveric study described VP in small breed dogs without DJD but with hip laxity. However, none of the canine VP reports mentioned coxofemoral DJD. Therefore, the aim of this retrospective study was to describe the distribution of coxofemoral VP revealed on computed tomography (CT) imaging in canine patients with DJD. Results: A total of 282 dogs (564 coxofemoral joints), comprising 142 small, 85 large, and 55 medium breeds, were included in the present study. DJD was found in 31.02% of all dogs. The incidence of DJD was highest in large breed dogs (50%), followed by medium (31.81%) and small (19.36%) breed dogs. In addition, VP was detected with CT using the pulmonary window in 31 joints of 25 dogs that received a diagnosis of hip degenerative disease. VP was found most frequently at the laterodorsal area of the acetabulum. The incidences of VP in large, small, and medium breed dogs were 35.94%, 17.14% and 8.33%, respectively. The presence of coxofemoral VP was significantly and positively correlated with DJD (odds ratio = 17.58, 95% CI 2.32-133.42). Conclusions: The presence of coxofemoral joint DJD and VP was more likely to be detected in large breed dogs, especially in those with established DJD. CT is an advanced diagnostic imaging modality that can be used to reveal VP lesions, most of which are reported at the laterodorsal acetabulum. Further studies, including comparisons of different patient positions, may reveal more information regarding coxofemoral VP.

Background The morphometry of the acetabulum is one source of information that assists in the clinical diagnosis of the hip and influences the proper selection of a prosthesis, reducing post-operative complications such as those seen in total hip replacement (THR). However, acetabular parameters in small-breed dogs are rarely reported. Objectives To investigate acetabular parameters using radiography and computed tomography (CT) in small-breed dogs with Maltese and Shih Tzu dogs used as model breeds. Methods Standard calibrated, extended hip radiographs and CT images were obtained. Subsequently, acetabular width (AW) in various directions was measured using radiography and CT, whereas acetabular depth (AD) was obtained by CT. Acetabular index (AI) is a ratio calculated from AD and AW. Results The values of AW and AD were much higher in Shih Tzu than in Maltese dogs. Male Shih Tzus showed higher values of these parameters than females, while sex-based differences in most of the parameters could not be detected in Maltese. Body weight, but not age, influenced AWs and ADs. While AWs and ADs were influenced by several factors, AI was comparable among the assessed factors and between Maltese and Shih Tzu dogs ( p = 0.172; 31.42 ± 1.35 and 32.60 ± 1.80, respectively). Also, AI did not vary with breed, sex, or body size. Conclusions The obtained radiographic and CT acetabular parameters could be useful as guidelines for evaluating the acetabulum of small-breed dogs in clinical practice.

Background It is difficult to examine mild to moderate feline intra-thoracic lymphadenopathy via and thoracic radiography. Despite previous information from computed tomographic (CT) images of intra-thoracic lymph nodes, some factors from animals and CT setting were less elucidated. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of internal factors from animals and external factors from the CT procedure on the feasibility to detect the intra-thoracic lymph nodes. Twenty-four, client-owned, clinically healthy cats were categorized into three groups according to age. They underwent pre- and post-contrast enhanced CT for whole thorax followed by inter-group evaluation and comparison of sternal, cranial mediastinal, and tracheobronchial lymph nodes. Results Post contrast-enhanced CT appearances revealed that intra-thoracic lymph nodes of kittens were invisible, whereas the sternal, cranial mediastinal, and tracheobronchial nodes of cats aged over 7 months old were detected (6/24, 9/24 and 7/24, respectively). Maximum width of these lymph nodes were 3.93 ± 0.74 mm, 4.02 ± 0.65 mm, and 3.51 ± 0.62 mm, respectively. By age, lymph node sizes of these cats were not significantly different. Transverse lymph node width of males was larger than that of females (P = 0.0425). Besides, the detection score of lymph nodes was affected by slice thickness (P < 0.01) and lymph node width (P = 0.0049). Furthermore, an irregular, soft tissue structure, possibly the thymus, was detected in all juvenile cats and three mature cats. Conclusions Despite additional information on intra-thoracic lymph nodes in CT images, which can be used to investigate lymphatic-related abnormalities, age, sex, and slice thickness of CT images must be also considered.

Background Kidney infarction is a renovascular disease diagnosed by contrast‐enhanced computed tomography (CECT) in humans. Objectives To describe the frequency of kidney infarction and to determine the detection of kidney infarction with CECT in dogs. Animals Eight hundred and twenty‐six abdominal CECT studies of 826 dogs. Methods A cross‐sectional retrospective study. Dogs with abdominal CT scans including CECT were retrospectively retrieved. Kidney infarction was classified into 3 grades based on the extent of infarction relative to total kidney area. The location and number of kidney infarctions in each kidney were expressed as number and percentage. The ability of visualization of kidney infarction in each multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) image plane was evaluated by agreement of 2 observers. Results The frequency of kidney infarction in dogs was 3.15% (26/826 dogs; 95% CI = 2.05‐4.61). Most kidney infarctions were classified as grade 1, or the lesions were less than 25% of the kidney (47/56, 83.93%) and most were detected at the caudal pole of the kidney (31/56, 55.35%) on the sagittal plane. On MPR image planes, the sagittal plane had the highest proportion (34/56, 60.71%) of excellent visual category to detect kidney infarction. Conclusions and Clinical Importance The CECT, especially the sagittal plane, is a useful diagnostic tool for the detection of kidney infarction in dogs.

Background and Aim: Renal fibrosis is a well-established pathological alteration associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in several species and progresses as CKD advances. Although a renal biopsy is the gold standard for determining renal fibrosis, it is an invasive, impractical method for clinical practice. In humans, ultrasonographic shear-wave elastography (SWE), a novel advanced diagnostic imaging tool, can evaluate renal parenchyma stiffness, and urinary procollagen type III amino-terminal propeptide (uPIIINP), a promising renal fibrosis biomarker in humans, has increasingly been use applied to reduce the biopsies. This study compares renal tissue elasticity observed through SWE Young's modulus (E) values between healthy dogs (HD) and those with CKD. Materials and Methods: The E value acquired by SWE, uPIIINP levels, and renal function were evaluated in 15 CKD dogs and 15 HD. Results: The renal cortical E values were significantly higher than the renal medullary E values in both groups (p<0.001). Renal cortical and medullary E values in CKD dogs were significantly higher than in HD (p<0.01). Cortical E values had greater significant correlations with renal functional parameters than the medullary E values and had a significant positive correlation with concentrations of plasma creatinine (Cr) (p<0.001); blood urea nitrogen (p<0.01); urine protein Cr ratio (p<0.01); and fractional excretions of sodium (p<0.05), potassium (p<0.05), chloride (p<0.05), and magnesium (p<0.001) while they had a negative correlation with urine specific gravity (p<0.05) and urine osmolality to plasma osmolality ratio (p<0.05). The uPIIINP to Cr (uPIIINP/Cr) ratios of CKD dogs were higher than those of HD (p<0.001). Moreover, the uPIIINP/Cr levels presented significant correlations with the renal cortical E values (p<0.01) and also the renal functional parameters. Conclusion: SWE offers a complementary, non-invasive diagnostic imaging tool for evaluating renal tissue stiffness in CKD dogs with renal function deterioration. In addition, uPIIINP levels are associated with renal function and structural changes in dogs. Therefore, the uPIIINP level might be a non-invasive, complementary, and promising biomarker for evaluating renal fibrosis in canine CKD.