Feline abdominal ultrasonography: What's normal? What's abnormal? The normal gastrointestinal tract

Abdominal ultrasound plays a vital role in the diagnostic work-up of many cats presenting to general and specialist practitioners. B-mode ultrasonography is likely the most widely used modality for imaging the gastrointestinal (GI) tract in cats, providing information on intestinal wall thickness and the presence or absence of intestinal dilation and peristalsis, among other factors.

Despite ultrasonography being a commonly used modality, many practitioners are not comfortable performing an ultrasound examination or interpreting the resulting images. Even differentiating between normal variations and pathological changes can be challenging for all but the most experienced.

This review, part of an occasional series on feline abdominal ultrasonography, discusses the ultrasonographic examination and appearance of the normal GI tract; the diseased GI tract is addressed in an accompanying article in this issue of JFMS. Aimed at general practitioners who wish to improve their knowledge and confidence in feline abdominal ultrasound, this review describes where findings contrast with those typically seen in dogs. It is accompanied by high-resolution images and videos available online as supplementary material.

Ultrasound facilities are readily available to most practitioners, although use of ultrasonography as a diagnostic tool is highly dependent on operator experience.

Information provided in this article is drawn from the published literature and the author's own clinical experience.