Applicability of thoracic non-cardiac ultrasonography in the diagnostic protocol of acute dyspnoea in feline patients

Abstract

Lung ultrasonography (LUS) is a non-invasive and rapid method used for the diagnostic of respiratory diseases in all mammals. The changes in clinically observed respiratory patterns can be correlated with the modifications observed during transthoracic ultrasonography, thus the clinician can select an appropriate protocol for managing the animals with respiratory distress. The aim of this study is to emphasize the clinical utility of lung ultrasonography when dealing with cats in an emergency setting. Cats presented with respiratory distress were retrospectively reviewed and classified based on the aetiology of the disease. Lung ultrasonography was performed using the thoracic fast protocol (T-FAST). Vet BLUE ultrasonography and chest radiography were performed only when the clinical status of the patient was suitable for these diagnostic methods. Thirty-nine cats met the inclusion criteria. The presence of free fluid, B-lines, shred sign, nodule sign, organ sign and barcode sign have been assessed for each patient. Based on the findings, a differential diagnostic and a management protocol had been proposed. Lung ultrasonography is a non-invasive, stress-free and fast examination with high sensibility and specificity for diagnosing cats with breathing difficulty.