Comparative ultrasonographic and computed tomographic images of the adrenal glands of healthy cats

Feline adrenal disorders that affect the size of the adrenal glands-can be detected by diagnostic imaging including ultrasonography and Computed Tomography (CT). The objectives of this study were to compare the appearance of the adrenal gland in healthy cats between these two techniques and establish the reference values of the CT dimensions of the adrenal gland in cats. We found that there was no significant difference in the length of both adrenal glands between the two techniques but the cranial and caudal heights of the left adrenal glands-and cranial height of the right adrenal gland obtained from the CT images in post-contrast enhanced-phase were significantly thicker than those obtained from ultrasonography. Our results suggest the reference values (mean +/- SD) of the left adrenal gland length, cranial, and caudal heights as 11.12 +/- 2.65, 3.69 +/- 0.72, and 3.70 +/- 0.77 mm, respectively, and those of the right adrenal gland as 11.00 +/- 2.33, 3.80 +/- 0.99, and 3.53 +/- 0.73 mm, respectively. The dimensions of both adrenal glands obtained from ultrasonography have more positive correlation with the age and body weight of the cats when compared with those obtained from the CT. Different sensitivity between the two techniques might be the cause and the images obtained from ultrasonography might be affected by the positioning and bodyweight of the patient.