The effect of contrast-enhanced ultrasound on the kidneys in eight cats

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) of the left kidney was performed on eight non-anesthetized, young, purpose bred, domestic shorthaired cats. Each cat underwent a physical examination before and 4 h and 48 h after CEUS. Complete blood count (CBC), serum biochemical analysis, urinalysis, including evaluation of the enzymatic activities of urinary N-acetyl-β-d-glucosaminidase (NAG) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), were also performed.No changes were observed in CBC or serum biochemical analyses, with the exception of a decrease in blood urea concentration at 48 h post-contrast ultrasound. A small elevation in NAG (U/g creatinine) was observed with a mean (SD) increase from 0.53 (0.35) to 1.43 (0.59) U/g creatinine. The magnitude of the rise was less than the circadian variation reported earlier for healthy cats. These results suggest that CEUS can be safely used to assess kidney perfusion in cats. The changes observed in laboratory values after CEUS did not appear to be related to detrimental effects on the kidneys.