Abdominal Ultrasound Examination Findings in 534 Hyperthyroid Cats Referred for Radioiodine Treatment Between 2007-2010.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of concurrent disease in hyperthyroid cats is unknown. OBJECTIVES: To identify the prevalence of concurrent intra-abdominal disease using abdominal ultrasound examination (AUS) in hyperthyroid cats referred for radioactive iodine treatment (RIT) and to determine whether the requirement for pretreatment AUS is justified. ANIMALS: Five hundred and thirty-four client-owned cats diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and referred for RIT. METHODS: Retrospective study. Age, breed, sex, body weight, clinical signs, total serum T4 concentration, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) concentration, serum creatinine concentration, urine specific gravity (USG), AUS results, and biopsy or cytology results, or both (if obtained) were collected from the medical records. RESULTS: The prevalence of concurrent disease identified using AUS in hyperthyroid cats referred for RIT was 36.1%; 22.8% of the cats in the study had renal disease and 2.4% had confirmed neoplasia. Significant differences in median USG (P value 0.032) and median BUN (P value 0.028) were found between cats that had abnormal kidneys on AUS compared to those with normal-appearing kidneys. Only 2.2% of the cats were not treated with RIT as a result of changes identified on AUS and subsequently obtained cytology or biopsy results. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: The results indicate that pretreatment AUS in hyperthyroid cats referred for RIT is unnecessary in most patients.

Malignant hyperthermia associated with enflurane anesthesia: a case report.

Malignant hyperthermia syndrome associated with various anesthetic agents has been well documented, but none has been reported with enflurane (Ethrane). This particular case is the first involving exposure for the second time to enflurane anesthesia after a six-month interval in which malignant hyperthermia resulted. A patient subject to malignant hyperthermia does not necessarily develop rigidity after succinylcholine for the intubation as noticed in this case. However, with the abnormal production of heat in the soda lime canister with tachycardia, tachypnea, rapidly rising body temperature and hypertonicity of skeletal muscles during anesthesia one should suspect malignant hyperthermia. The treatment of malignant hyperthermia involves cooling procedures, correction of acidosis, use of steroids and procainamide, and acetaminophen to facilitate lowering the body temperature.