ULTRASONOGRAPHIC APPEARANCE OF FELINE ALIMENTARY LYMPHOMA

Abdominal ultrasonography was performed in seven cats with intestinal lymphoma and four cats with gastric lymphoma. Ultrasonographic abnormalities included the presence of a hypoechoic mass associated with the gastrointestinal tract, focal or diffuse thickening of the gastric wall, symmetric thickening of the bowel wall, loss of the normal layered appearance of the gastrointestinal wall, and abdominal lymphadenopathy. The thickness of the stomach wall ranged from 8 to 22 mm in cats with gastric lymphoma, and the thickness of the bowel wall ranged from 5 to 20 mm in cats with intestinal lymphoma. Fine needle aspiration of a gastrointestinal lesion was performed without complication in six cats, and was diagnostic for lymphoma in five out of six. Results of this study indicate that ultrasonography is an effective noninvasive means of identifying lesions consistent with alimentary lymphoma in cats.