{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,6]],"date-time":"2026-06-06T14:15:10Z","timestamp":1780755310116,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,6,2]],"date-time":"2021-06-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1622592000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Vet. Sci."],"abstract":"<jats:p>The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of intramuscular butorphanol with dexmedetomidine or alfaxalone on feline splenic size, echogenicity, and attenuation using ultrasound and computed tomography (CT). Ten healthy research cats underwent ultrasound and CT without sedation (controls), 15 min after protocol AB (alfaxalone 2 mg\/kg and butorphanol 0.2 mg\/kg) and 10 min after protocol DB (dexmedetomidine 7 \u03bcg\/kg and butorphanol 0.2 mg\/kg), with a one-week wash-out period between each sedation, using a cross-over study design. Images were randomized and anonymized for evaluation by a board-certified radiologist. On ultrasound, the sedative protocols affected splenic thickness, at the body and the tail (<jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>= 0.002 and 0.0003, respectively).<jats:italic>Post-hoc<\/jats:italic>tests revealed that mean \u00b1 SEM thickness was greater after AB (body: 10.24 \u00b1 0.30 mm; tail: 7.96 \u00b1 0.33 mm) than for the control group (body: 8.71 \u00b1 0.30 mm; tail: 6.78 \u00b1 0.33 mm), while no significant difference was observed following DB. Splenic echogenicity was unchanged between treatments (<jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>= 0.55). On CT, mean \u00b1 SEM splenic volume was increased after AB (37.82 \u00b1 1.91 mL) compared to the control group (20.06 \u00b1 1.91 mL) (<jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>&amp;lt; 0.0001), but not after DB (24.04 \u00b1 1.91 mL). Mean splenic attenuation increased after AB (<jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>= 0.0009), but not DB. Protocol DB may be preferable for profound sedation in cats while avoiding changes in feline splenic imaging. When protocol AB is selected, splenomegaly should be expected, though mild on ultrasound. The increased splenic attenuation after AB is unlikely to be clinically relevant.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fvets.2021.572146","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,6,2]],"date-time":"2021-06-02T05:43:02Z","timestamp":1622612582000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Effects of Butorphanol With Alfaxalone or Dexmedetomidine on Feline Splenic Size and Appearance on Ultrasound and Computed 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