Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Oct 16;9(10):568.
doi: 10.3390/vetsci9100568.

Factors Affecting the Outcome of Medical Treatment in Cats with Obstructive Ureteral Stones Treated with Tamsulosin: 70 Cases (2018-2022)

Hyung-Kyu Chae  1   2 , Hyun Jeong Hong  1 , Se Yoon Lee  3 , Jung-Hoon Park  1 , Woo Joo Choi  1 , Seungkuk Oh  1 , Seoyeoun Ji  4 , Yeon-Jung Hong  5
Affiliations

Factors Affecting the Outcome of Medical Treatment in Cats with Obstructive Ureteral Stones Treated with Tamsulosin: 70 Cases (2018-2022)

Hyung-Kyu Chae et al. Vet Sci. .

Abstract

The incidence of diseases associated with feline ureteral obstruction is increasing; however, non-surgical treatment options are limited. This study evaluated the outcome of medical treatment in cats with obstructive ureteral stones treated with tamsulosin and identified potential factors predicting spontaneous stone passage. We retrospectively reviewed 70 client-owned cats treated at the Western Referral Animal Medical Center, Seoul, Korea, from 2018 to 2022. All the cats had obstructive ureterolithiasis and were treated using tamsulosin. The baseline characteristics of the cats, stone diameter and location, and stone passage outcomes were analyzed. Stone passage occurred in 22 cats; the remaining 48 cats showed no change in stone locations. Sex, creatinine, and diameter and location of stones were potential risk factors associated with successful stone passage, but age, weight, and side of the stone were not. No serious adverse events related to tamsulosin treatment were observed. This is the first study to identify the risk factors predictive of the spontaneous stone passage of cats with obstructive ureterolithiasis after tamsulosin treatment. Tamsulosin could be an alternative treatment for ureteral obstruction in male cats with smaller distal ureteral stones and low baseline serum creatinine levels. These findings could help develop guidelines for treating feline ureterolithiasis.

Keywords: cat; tamsulosin; ureteral obstruction; ureterolithiasis; α-antagonist.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Representative ultrasound image of successful stone passage in a cat. (a) Dilated renal pelvis owing to obstruction and (b) high-contrast material presumed to be a stone in the distal part of the ureter. (c,d) After tamsulosin therapy, improved renal pelvic dilation and successful stone passage were confirmed through ultrasound imaging.
Figure 1
Figure 1
Representative ultrasound image of successful stone passage in a cat. (a) Dilated renal pelvis owing to obstruction and (b) high-contrast material presumed to be a stone in the distal part of the ureter. (c,d) After tamsulosin therapy, improved renal pelvic dilation and successful stone passage were confirmed through ultrasound imaging.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Improvement in serological azotemia with changes in the location of the stone observed on ultrasound.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Osborne C.A., Lulich J.P., Kruger J.M., Ulrich L.K., Koehler L.A. Analysis of 451,891 canine uroliths, feline uroliths, and feline urethral plugs from 1981 to 2007: Perspectives from the Minnesota Urolith Center. Vet. Clin. North Am. Small Anim. Pract. 2009;39:183–197. doi: 10.1016/j.cvsm.2008.09.011. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Cannon A.B., Westropp J.L., Ruby A.L., Kass P.H. Evaluation of trends in urolith composition in cats: 5,230 cases (1985–2004) J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc. 2007;231:570–576. doi: 10.2460/javma.231.4.570. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kyles A.E., Hardie E.M., Wooden B.G., Adin C.A., Stone E.A., Gregory C.R., Mathews K.G., Cowgill L.D., Vaden S., Nyland T.G., et al. Management and outcome of cats with ureteral calculi: 153 cases (1984–2002) J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc. 2005;226:937–944. doi: 10.2460/javma.2005.226.937. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Berent A.C., Weisse C.W., Todd K., Bagley D.H. Technical and clinical outcomes of ureteral stenting in cats with benign ureteral obstruction: 69 cases (2006–2010) J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc. 2014;244:559–576. doi: 10.2460/javma.244.5.559. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Deroy C., Rossetti D., Ragetly G., Hernandez J., Poncet C. Comparison between double-pigtail ureteral stents and ureteral bypass devices for treatment of ureterolithiasis in cats. J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc. 2017;251:429–437. doi: 10.2460/javma.251.4.429. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources