Role Of Ultrasonography In The Diagnosis And Management Of Endophthalmitis In Cats

Endophthalmitis is one of the most devastating diagnoses in veterinary and human ophthalmology. Ocular ultrasound is an effective and non-invasive technique used for evaluating the structures of the eye and the surrounding tissues, especially when the development of ocular opacities in conditions such as corneal disease, uveitis, cataracts or trauma prevent or limit the use of ophthalmoscopy and slit-lamp biomicroscopy. The present study aimed to evaluate the ultrasonographic characteristics of endophthalmitis in cats and to assess the usefulness of ultrasonography in the selection of treatment methods in such cases. Sixty cats (90 eyes) of different breeds were presented with bilateral (30 cats) and unilateral (30 cats; OD=10, OS=20) endophthalmitis. The mean age ± SEM at the initial presentation was 13.46±1.69 months (range, 2 - 72 months). After a thorough ophthalmic examination, the ultrasonographic evaluation using a high frequency (7.5-10 MHz) micro-convex probe was conducted to evaluate the concurrent ocular abnormalities in the anterior and posterior eye segments. After completing the ultrasonographic examination, the treatment protocol was applied. It was concluded that ocular ultrasonographic evaluation was found suitable in the diagnosis of endophthalmitis in cats and for the selection of the treatment protocol.