Objectives
To evaluate the concentration of kidney injury molecule‐1 and activity of urinary gamma‐glutamyl transferase in cats with urethral obstruction and healthy cats.
Materials and Methods
Blood and urine samples were collected from a group of 15 healthy cats (control group) and a group of 20 cats with urethral obstruction at presentation, and 24 hours and 7 days after unblocking the obstruction. The serum creatinine, urinary creatinine and urinary gamma‐glutamyl transferase were measured by spectrophotometry and kidney injury molecule‐1 by the sandwich enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay.
Results
On presentation, cats with obstruction had serum creatinine concentration and urinary gamma‐glutamyl transferase index higher than healthy cats (mean difference 544 μmol/L, 95% confidence intervals 222 to 865 μmol/L, and 0.0022 U/μmol‐uCre, 0.00043 to 0.0039 U/μmol‐uCre, respectively), urine creatinine concentration lower (mean difference 25,624 µmol/L, 17,329 to 33,919 µmol/L), and no significant difference in the kidney injury molecule‐1/urinary creatinine ratio (mean difference 13 pg/μmol‐uCre, −33 to 59 pg/μmol‐uCre). In the group of cats with urinary obstruction, over time serum creatinine decreased, urine creatinine increased, urinary gamma‐glutamyl transferase index did not change significantly, and kidney injury molecule‐1/urinary creatinine ratio increased.
Clinical Significance
Cats with post‐renal obstruction and potential intrinsic renal damage had higher urinary gamma‐glutamyl transferase index than healthy cats at the time of presentation and showed increase in kidney injury molecule‐1/urinary creatinine ratio over time.