Gastrointestinal foreign bodies in cats: Radiographic, endoscopic, and biochemical evaluation

The aim of this study is to evaluate the endoscopic, radiological, and biochemical data obtained from cats with gastrointestinal foreign bodies. The study was carried out on clinical cases brought to a private veterinary clinic in Eskişehir and diagnosed with a gastrointestinal foreign body. A total of 65 cats of different ages, breeds, and genders diagnosed with gastrointestinal foreign bodies were used in the study. In the study, bidirectional direct abdominal radiographs were taken after the necessary clinical controls of the cats. Contrast radiography was performed in cases where a radiolucent foreign body was suspected. Within the scope of the study, routine endoscopic examinations of all cats were performed to check whether there was any foreign body or other pathology in the stomach. At the same time, blood samples were taken from all cases, and hemograms and some biochemical parameters (ALT, AST, ALP, albumin, globulin, urea, creatinine, total protein, glucose, bilirubin, Ca, Cl, K, Na, and lactate) were measured. Types of foreign bodies in cats: plastic or rubber (34 cases, 51.5%), rope (11 cases, 16.7%), metal (7 cases, 10.6%), fabric (5 cases, 7.6%), hard cardboard (4 cases, 6.1%), and others (5 cases, 7.6%) were found to be distributed as foreign bodies. In the study, while radiopaque images were obtained in 12 cases (metallic or hard plastic foreign bodies), 11 were diagnosed with a linear foreign body, and 40 were diagnosed with various radiolucent foreign bodies. Serum lactate levels were determined to be above normal values in most of the cases (31 cases, 67.3%). Hypochloremia (20 cases, 43.4%), hyponatremia (13 cases, 27.6%), and hypokalemia (6 cases, 13%) were observed in some of the cases. In conclusion, it was concluded that direct and indirect radiography, along with endoscopic examination are very effective diagnostic tools for timely diagnosis in cats with gastrointestinal foreign bodies, and that the foreign body should be removed as soon as possible for a good prognosis.