{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,25]],"date-time":"2026-03-25T14:53:36Z","timestamp":1774450416294,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":27,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,15]],"date-time":"2025-10-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1760486400000},"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:sec><jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title><jats:p>Urethral wall thickness is a potential indicator of pathological changes in the feline lower urinary tract. However, reference values for total urethral thickness in cats have not been established. This study aimed to develop ultrasonographic reference ranges for total urethral thickness in clinically normal cats and to evaluate the effects of breed, sex, neutering status, body weight, and bladder volume. We further compared urethral thickness between healthy cats and those presenting with lower urinary tract signs (LUTS) and determined a diagnostic cutoff value.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>A total of 302 cats were retrospectively analyzed in a multicenter study. Measurements were obtained from mid-sagittal ultrasonographic images at the level cranial to the pelvic symphysis.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>In clinically normal cats (<jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic> = 240), mean total urethral thickness was 2.20 \u00b1 0.26 mm, with no significant influence of sex, breed, body weight, or bladder volume. Cats with LUTS (<jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic> = 62) demonstrated significantly greater urethral thickness (2.75 \u00b1 0.51 mm, <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic> &amp;lt; 0.001). Multivariable analysis identified LUTS as the strongest independent predictor of increased urethral thickness. Receiver operating characteristic analysis yielded an area under the curve of 0.859, confirmed by bootstrap validation (bias-corrected AUC = 0.858; 95% CI: 0.7840.918). A diagnostic cutoff of 2.49 mm achieved 76% sensitivity and 88% specificity.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title><jats:p>These findings establish ultrasonographic reference ranges for feline urethral thickness and propose a clinically useful threshold for detecting urethral abnormalities. Ultrasonography may therefore provide a reliable, non-invasive tool for evaluating urethral pathology in cats.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fvets.2025.1655498","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,15]],"date-time":"2025-10-15T04:24:02Z","timestamp":1760502242000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Evaluation of total urethral thickness using ultrasonography in cats"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Seungeun","family":"Lee","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yoojin","family":"An","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yoonju","family":"Choi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sungsoo","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Kichang","family":"Lee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Hakyoung","family":"Yoon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"967","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jfms.2011.08.001","article-title":"Risk factors and clinical presentation of cats with feline idiopathic cystitis","volume":"13","author":"Defauw","year":"2011","journal-title":"J Feline Med Surg"},{"key":"ref2","first-page":"363","article-title":"Bladder and urethra","volume-title":"Atlas of small animal ultrasonography","author":"Sutherland-Smith","year":"2015"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"720","DOI":"10.1002\/9781119533221.ch27","article-title":"Urogenital tract","volume-title":"Atlas of small animal diagnostic imaging","author":"Huynh","year":"2023"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"441","DOI":"10.1016\/s0195-5616(96)50077-x","article-title":"Urethroscopy, cystoscopy, and biopsy of the feline lower urinary tract","volume":"26","author":"Chew","year":"1996","journal-title":"Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"77","DOI":"10.1002\/jcu.1870110205","article-title":"Risk in fine-needle abdominal biopsy","volume":"11","author":"Livraghi","year":"1983","journal-title":"J Clin Ultrasound"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"463","DOI":"10.1016\/s0195-5616(96)50078-1","article-title":"Cystoscopy and biopsy of the feline lower urinary tract","volume":"26","author":"McCarthy","year":"1996","journal-title":"Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1261","DOI":"10.2460\/javma.237.11.1261","article-title":"A protocol for managing urethral obstruction in male cats without urethral catheterization","volume":"237","author":"Cooper","year":"2010","journal-title":"J Am Vet Med Assoc"},{"key":"ref8","first-page":"14","article-title":"Computed tomography imaging of pelvic urethra in male cats","volume":"4","author":"Dimitrov","year":"2006","journal-title":"Trakia J Sci"},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"181","DOI":"10.1097\/00042307-200103000-00009","article-title":"Magnetic resonance imaging of the prostate","volume":"11","author":"R\u00f8rvik","year":"2001","journal-title":"Curr Opin Urol"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"342","DOI":"10.1111\/vru.12952","article-title":"A comparative study of sono-urethrography using saline, agitated saline, and an ultrasound contrast agent in normal beagles","volume":"62","author":"Lee","year":"2021","journal-title":"Vet Radiol Ultrasound"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"587","DOI":"10.1002\/9781119421399","volume-title":"Atlas of small animal CT and MRI","author":"Wisner","year":"2015"},{"key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"34","DOI":"10.1177\/1098612X13516570","article-title":"Cystourethroscopy in the cat: what do you need? When do you need it? How do you do it?","volume":"16","author":"Berent","year":"2014","journal-title":"J Feline Med Surg"},{"key":"ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"52","DOI":"10.1053\/j.ctsap.2004.12.008","article-title":"Cystoscopy: techniques and clinical applications","volume":"20","author":"Messer","year":"2005","journal-title":"Clin Tech Small Anim Pract"},{"key":"ref14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"583","DOI":"10.1016\/B978-0-323-53337-9.00025-3","article-title":"Urinary tract","volume-title":"Small animal diagnostic ultrasound","author":"Widmer","year":"2021"},{"key":"ref15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1051898","DOI":"10.3389\/fvets.2022.1051898","article-title":"Evaluation of urethral thickness using ultrasonography in healthy small-breed dogs","volume":"9","author":"Kim","year":"2022","journal-title":"Front Vet Sci"},{"key":"ref16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"271","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1740-8261.1983.tb00732.x","article-title":"Effects of bladder distention on canine and feline retrograde urethrography","volume":"24","author":"Johnston","year":"1983","journal-title":"Vet Radiol"},{"key":"ref17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"713","DOI":"10.1111\/vec.12670","article-title":"Use of urinary bladder measurements from a point-of-care cysto-colic ultrasonographic view to estimate urinary bladder volume in dogs and cats","volume":"27","author":"Lisciandro","year":"2017","journal-title":"J Vet Emerg Crit Care (San Antonio)"},{"key":"ref18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"190","DOI":"10.1016\/s0022-5347(17)51980-1","article-title":"Morphometry of the female feline urethra","volume":"129","author":"Cullen","year":"1983","journal-title":"J Urol"},{"key":"ref19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"64","DOI":"10.1053\/j.tcam.2008.11.003","article-title":"Reproductive ultrasound of the dog and tom","volume":"24","author":"Davidson","year":"2009","journal-title":"Top Companion Anim Med"},{"key":"ref20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"654","DOI":"10.1016\/S0022-5347(01)61989-X","article-title":"Functional anatomy of the male feline urethra: morphological and physiological correlations","volume":"161","author":"Wang","year":"1999","journal-title":"J Urol"},{"key":"ref21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"881232","DOI":"10.3389\/fvets.2022.881232","article-title":"A review on canine and feline prostate pathology","volume":"9","author":"Palmieri","year":"2022","journal-title":"Front Vet Sci."},{"key":"ref22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"555670","DOI":"10.19080\/APBIJ.2019.05.555670","article-title":"Anatomy of the prostate gland and seminal col\u00edculos of the canine (Canis lupus familiaris)","volume":"5","author":"Saldivia Paredes","year":"2019","journal-title":"Anat Physiol Biochem Int J"},{"key":"ref23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jfms.2010.11.005","article-title":"Help stop teenage pregnancy! Early-age neutering in cats","volume":"13","author":"Joyce","year":"2011","journal-title":"J Feline Med Surg"},{"key":"ref24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"363","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1740-8261.1996.tb01244.x","article-title":"The effect of prepuberal and postpuberal gonadectomy on penile extrusion and urethral diameter in the domestic cat","volume":"37","author":"Root","year":"1996","journal-title":"Vet Radiol Ultrasound"},{"key":"ref25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"443","DOI":"10.18699\/VJ17.263","article-title":"Cats and dogs cross the line: domestic breeds follow Rensch\u2019s rule, their wild relatives do not","volume":"21","author":"Bidau","year":"2017","journal-title":"Vavilovskii Zh Genet Sel"},{"key":"ref26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"13","DOI":"10.3389\/fnsys.2018.00013","article-title":"Inflammation and tissue remodeling in the bladder and urethra in feline interstitial cystitis","volume":"12","author":"Kullmann","year":"2018","journal-title":"Front Syst Neurosci"},{"key":"ref27","first-page":"183","article-title":"Ultrasound of the urinary bladder and urethra","volume-title":"Diagnostic ultrasound in cats","author":"Novellas","year":"2015"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Veterinary Science"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fvets.2025.1655498\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,15]],"date-time":"2025-10-15T04:24:04Z","timestamp":1760502244000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fvets.2025.1655498\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,15]]},"references-count":27,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fvets.2025.1655498"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fvets.2025.1655498","relation":{},"ISSN":["2297-1769"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2297-1769","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,15]]},"article-number":"1655498"}}