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 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.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common renal disease in dogs and cats. Renal fibrosis is a main pathologic process leading of CKD progression. Renal biopsy is the gold standard for renal fibrosis assessment. However, it is not routinely performed in clinic due to its invasiveness. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the use of ultrasonographic strain elastography (SE), which is a non-invasive method for renal tissue stiffness determination and its association with renal function. Renal strain ratios and renal function were evaluated in 13 CKD dogs (CKDD), 38 healthy dogs (HD), 17 CKD cats (CKDC) and 26 healthy cats (HC). There were significantly lower renal cortical strain ratios than medullary strain ratios in all groups (HD; P <0.01, HC; P <0.01, CKDD and CKDC; P <0.05) and significantly lower cortical and medullary strain ratios in both CKDD and CKDC than in healthy control animals of both species ( P <0.0001). In dogs, the renal cortical and medullary strain ratios significantly negatively correlated with plasma creatinine ( P <0.05), blood urea nitrogen (BUN; P <0.05; P <0.01, respectively), and symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA; P <0.01). In cats, similar correlations were found for plasma creatinine ( P <0.001), BUN ( P <0.05; P <0.001, respectively) and SDMA ( P <0.05). SE might be a promising imaging diagnostic tool for renal-elasticity evaluation, also correlating with renal functional impairment in canine and feline CKD.

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.