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Thyroid scintigraphy findings in 2096 cats with hyperthyroidism.
Mark E Peterson1, Michael R Broome
1Animal Endocrine Clinic, New York, New York.
Summary
Thyroid scintigraphy in cats reveals most hyperthyroid cases involve unilateral or bilateral nodules. Ectopic thyroid disease and thyroid carcinoma are uncommon, affecting approximately 4% and 2% of hyperthyroid cats, respectively.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Medicine
- Endocrinology
- Diagnostic Imaging
Background:
- Thyroid scintigraphy is the gold standard for diagnosing feline hyperthyroidism.
- Limited studies have detailed scintigraphic characteristics in large cat populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize thyroid scintigraphy findings in a large cohort of hyperthyroid cats.
- To identify prevalence of different disease patterns, including ectopic tissue and carcinoma.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective evaluation of 2096 hyperthyroid cats over 3.5 years.
- Analysis of thyroid-to-salivary and thyroid-to-background ratios.
- Categorization of disease patterns: unilateral, bilateral-asymmetric, bilateral-symmetric, and multifocal.
Main Results:
- High thyroid-to-salivary (>1.5) and thyroid-to-background (>6.1) ratios were observed in 98.7% and 96.1% of cats, respectively.
- Disease patterns included unilateral (31.7%), bilateral-asymmetric (50.6%), bilateral-symmetric (12.3%), and multifocal (3.9%).
- Ectopic thyroid tissue (4%) and suspected thyroid carcinoma (1.7%) were diagnosed in a small percentage of cats.
Conclusions:
- Most hyperthyroid cats present with unilateral or bilateral thyroid nodules.
- Multifocal disease, ectopic thyroid tissue, and thyroid carcinoma are relatively uncommon findings in hyperthyroid cats.
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