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Case Reports
. 2017 Apr;19(4):484-492.
doi: 10.1177/1098612X15613388. Epub 2016 Jul 9.

Renal abscesses in cats: six cases

Mathieu R Faucher  1 , Marie-Laure Theron  2 , Brice S Reynolds  2   3
Affiliations
Case Reports

Renal abscesses in cats: six cases

Mathieu R Faucher et al. J Feline Med Surg. 2017 Apr.

Abstract

Case series summary Six cats were diagnosed with renal abscesses. Common clinical findings were lethargy, dehydration, abdominal pain and nephromegaly. Fever was noted in half of the cases. Diagnosis was established by ultrasonography, cytological examination and bacterial culture of abscess aspirates. At least one possible contributing factor could be identified in all cases. Antibiotics were consistently used and in two cats the abscess was surgically drained. The short-term outcome was fair but the long-term outcome was dependent on the underlying condition. Relevance and novel information The results of this small case series suggest that renal abscess should be considered when nephromegaly and/or abdominal discomfort are noted. Diagnosis of renal abscess is straightforward when ultrasonography and fine-needle aspirate analysis can be performed. Medical treatment is assumed to be preferable but surgical treatment may be warranted on a case-by-case basis. Given that almost every affected cat was diagnosed with at least one comorbidity, a thorough evaluation is recommended for all cats with renal abscesses.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Ultrasonographic view of the right kidney in case 1: the abscess presented as a large, round hypoechoic lesion (arrow). Cysts are identified in the remaining renal cortex
Figure 2
Figure 2
Ultrasound examination of the left kidney in case 3 showing nephrolithiasis (dashed arrow), a cortical hypoechoic and heterogeneous lesion (solid arrow) and subcapsular effusion mixed with heterogeneous material
Figure 3
Figure 3
Ultrasonographic view of the left kidney in case 4 showing a large hypoechoic heterogeneous cortical lesion later identified as a renal abscess (arrow)
Figure 4
Figure 4
Ultrasonographic view of the left kidney in case 4: the perirenal abscess presented as a perirenal collection of hypoechoic fluid (arrow)
Figure 5
Figure 5
Ultrasonography (US) of the right kidney of case 6 showing multiple well-circumscribed hypoechoic subcapsular areas (arrows). US aspect of both kidneys was similar
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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