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Feline abdominal ultrasonography: what's normal? what's abnormal? The adrenal glands
1BVSc, Ce666rtAVP, DipECVDI, Radiology Department, Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service, Highlands Road, Shirley, Solihull B90 4NH, UK.
Practical Relevance:
Abdominal ultrasound plays a vital role in the diagnostic work-up of many cats presenting to general and specialist practitioners. Ultrasound examination of the adrenal glands can provide important information pertaining to several conditions including hyperaldosteronism and hyperadrenocorticism.
Clinical Challenges:
Despite ultrasonography being a commonly used modality, many practitioners are not comfortable performing an ultrasound examination or interpreting the resulting images. Even for the experienced ultrasonographer, differentiating between incidental findings, such as adrenal mineralisation, and clinically significant pathological changes can be challenging.
Aim:
This review, part of an occasional series on feline abdominal ultrasonography, discusses the ultrasonographic examination of the normal and diseased adrenal glands. Aimed at general practitioners who wish to improve their knowledge of and confidence in feline abdominal ultrasound, this review is accompanied by high-resolution images and videos available online as supplementary material.
Equipment:
Ultrasound facilities are readily available to most practitioners, although the use of ultrasonography as a diagnostic tool is highly dependent on operator experience.
Evidence Base:
Information provided in this article is drawn from the published literature and the author's own clinical experience.
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