Investigation of the Relationship between Ultrasonographic Findings and Analyses of Bladder Contents in Cats

Background: Echoes are frequently observed in cat bladder contents through ultrasonography and often mentioned as incidental findings. No comprehensive study has been conducted so far on the precise echoes nature in the bladder contents ultrasonography in cats. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to provide an accurate description of the cat bladder contents echoes and to specify the relationship between ultrasonographic findings and urinalyses. METHODS: 30 adult DSH cats were investigated. Bladder ultrasonography was performed. The numbers of echoes in the bladder were qualitatively divided into four classes. At least 5 ml of urine was collected with cystocentesis. Urinalysis was performed on the urine sediment. The statistical analyses were done. RESULTS: Echoes were observed in 19 cases. The echoes were suspended in 17 of the cases, in those cases they were observed and clumped in 2 cases. Of the 19 cases where echoes had been observed in the bladder contents, 9 included oil droplets, 2 included struvite crystals and 4 included hematuria as reported in urinalysis. For 6 of the cats with echoes in the bladder contents, oil droplets, RBCs, and crystals were not reported in urinalysis. The number of echoes observed in the bladder in presence of RBCs, oil droplets, crystals, and leucocytes was not statistically significant (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Based on this study, most of the echoes observed in the ultrasonography of cats’ bladder contents can be associated with the presence of oil droplets in the urine, which is in accordance with previous studies.