Computed tomography, radiology and echocardiography in cats naturally infected with Aelurostrongylus abstrusus

Abstract

Objectives The aims of the study were to describe the radiographic and computed tomographic features in cats naturally infected with Aelurostrongylus abstrusus, and to identify signs of pulmonary hypertension with echocardiography. Methods Fourteen cats positive on Baermann test for A abstrusus were included in the study. All cats underwent thoracic radiography, CT and echocardiography. Results The most common clinical signs were coughing (10/14) and dyspnoea (5/14). Radiographic findings included a generalised unstructured interstitial pulmonary pattern (8/14), mixed bronchointerstitioalveolar pattern (3/14) and bronchointerstitial pattern with bronchial wall thickening (3/14). Sternal lymphadenopathy was detected on thoracic radiographs in six cats. On CT, features were mixed bronchointerstitioalveolar pattern with ground-glass appearance in six cats, interstitioalveolar with multiple pulmonary nodules in five, interstitial ground-glass infiltrates in three, regional lymph node enlargement in 11 (10 sternal, three cranial mediastinal and three tracheobronchial lymph nodes) and subpleural thickening in four. None of the thoracic radiographs revealed subpleural thickening. In all cases, pulmonary vessels were normal in terms of size, shape and attenuation on both radiography and CT. Pulmonary hypertension and cardiac abnormalities were not observed in any cat during echocardiography. Conclusions and relevance CT provided a more thorough characterisation of pulmonary and mediastinal lesions compared with thoracic radiographs in cats naturally infected with A abstrusus. Although feline aelurostrongylosis has been previously associated with histopathological lesions in lung arteries, in this cohort clinical evidence of pulmonary hypertension was not documented.

Ante Mortem Diagnosis of Аеlurostrongylus Abstrusus (Railliet, 1898) in Domestic Cat in Republic of Srpska (Bih)

“…The radiographic finding indicates a chronic process with mild changes on the diaphragmatic lobes. Similar data are found in the literature, since the radiographic findings depends on the degree of lung damage (Lacava et al, 2017). Since in the presented case there were no respiratory symptoms or disseminated lung lesions determined by a radiographic examination, it was concluded that in this case chronic and subclinical aelurostrongylosis was diagnosed.…”

“…Lung lesions are localized in diaphragm lobes, and the bronchial wall is thickened, indicating the existence of a mixed pattern of lung lesion. For more intensive infections with A. abstrusus radiography shows generalized interstitial lesions in the lungs of affected cats (Lacava et al, 2017). Additionally, the detected changes in the lung lobe in our case are specific to verminous bronchopneumonia.…”

Multidetector computed tomographic pulmonary angiography in a cat with fatal heartworm disease

“…In particular in our case the right caudal lobe was more affected than the left lung lobe. Little information is available regarding bronchial changes in feline dirofilariasis and only recent studies reported on the CT features of the airways in cats experimentally infected with D. immitis and naturally and experimentally infected cats with Aelurostrongylus abstrusus …”

Feline Troglostrongylosis: Current Epizootiology, Clinical Features, and Therapeutic Options

“…Thoracic radiography should be the first assessment in patients with a suspect of lower airway and pulmonary parenchyma disorders. The most common abnormalities detected on chest radiographs in naturally ( 31 , 38 , 39 ) or experimentally ( 40 ) infected cats with lungworm infection are bronchial, nodular, and unstructured interstitial pattern with a multifocal distribution, evolving into a generalized alveolar pattern in severe cases. However, these data relate to A. abstrusus or mixed lungworm infections, and information on imaging features of troglostrogylosis is scant.…”