Pancreatitis is the most common feline exocrine pancreatic disorder.1,2 Cats with pancreatitis can present with a variety of nonspecific clinical signs, including lethargy, anorexia, and weight loss, depending on the chronicity and severity of the disease.2,3
Vomiting and abdominal pain, typically seen in dogs with pancreatitis, are less common in cats.3 Most cases of feline pancreatitis are idiopathic, although it can be associated with various concurrent diseases, including hepatic lipidosis, cholangiohepatitis, inflammatory bowel disease, infectious disease, drug intoxication, and abdominal trauma.1,3,4
The nonspecific clinical presentation and pathologic findings of feline pancreatitis make diagnosis difficult.5,6 Ultrasonography has been suggested as a useful diagnostic technique to detect pathologic changes in the feline pancreas7; however, the sensitivity of ultrasonography for feline pancreatitis is low and has been reported as only 10% to 35% when performed by a board-certified ultrasonographer.5,8 Reported ultrasonographic findings associated with pancreatitis include hypoechogenicity of pancreatic parenchyma, hyperechogenicity of surrounding mesentery, pancreatic enlargement, and peritoneal effusion.4,9,10
The sensitivity of computed tomography (CT) in cats with pancreatitis has been reported to be lower than that of ultrasonography.11 Abdominal radiographs are also considered nonspecific for the diagnosis of pancreatitis in cats but may show peritoneal effusion when pancreatitis is severe.2,7