Reply To: Cat lung radiograph

Hi Kerida,

Thanks for uploading the history and the radiographs to the discussion forum, what an interesting case!

I think there is evidence of some cardiomegaly, particularly at the base on the laterals. You can’t really see the right atrium on these as it is buried in the middle of the cardiac silhouette (unless v severe tricuspid dysplasia, which cats do not often get and this is the wrong age). It is hard to confirm specific chamber enlargement on the DV as the silhouette is effaced by the lung pattern. I see what you mean on the left lateral, there looks like there is some sort of mass cranio-dorsal to the heart. I can’t see this on the Dv, but the slight rotation makes it hard to look at the right-cranial thorax. The heart is rounder on the left lateral, but I think we tend to see this so can’t read too much into that.
The lung pattern is diffuse broncho-interstitial with a greater interstitial component in the caudo-dorsal lung fields.
You don’t mention any murmur/ arrhythmia/ gallop so I assume that these are not present?

My DDx would be:

Oedema – cardiogenic vs non-cardiogenic superimposed on feline asthma type pathology
Infection – bronchopneumonia
Possible mass in cranial thorax

Is there any way this cat could have a FAST scan of the thorax to rule in/out cardiomegaly and a mass? I think that would be the single most useful test here?

What did you decide to do with the cat in the end? Interesting that the brother died of resp issues too…

I would be very interested to see what others thought 🙂

Liz