Introduction

This is a fun section designed to test your diagnostic abilities. Periodically we will show new x-rays (the proper word is radiograph) for you to test your skills, so remember to come back and see what new rads (that is the slang word we sometimes use) are posted on our site.

By the way, do you know what animal that is we took an x-ray of on our home page? Click here to take you to the reptile x-ray page, then click on the #7 for the answer.

Look at each x-ray closely (sometimes very closely) and see if you can figure out what is wrong. We have a couple of clues to help you make an interpretation:

1. Use symmetry when you can. Compare both sides, legs, or whatever else that might be useful.

2. Pull your face away from the screen and scan the whole x-ray before you jump into the details.

3. After you have scanned the whole radiograph look very closely for subtle changes.

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Normal X-Rays

This is a radiograph of the abdomen of a normal cat that is laying on its right side. The head is towards the left. Use the diagram below to identify the organs. You can easily see the liver (L), stomach (S) kidneys (K) , the small intestines (SI), the large intestine (LI), the urinary bladder (UB), and the Spleen (Sp). The arrow points to stainless steel sutures in the muscle layer from a spay operation.

 

Click here to see close up views of each of the above radiographs.They are larger and easier to visualize. When you are done looking at the larger radiographs come back here to learn about abnormal radiographs.

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Abnormal X-Rays

Now that you are an expert at reading radiographs give the following one a try. It is from a cat that is very ill and having a serious breathing problem. The answer is below, along with a picture with arrows pointing to the abnormalities.

This cat has 2 stones in its urinary bladder (click here to learn more about them and see a surgery of how they are removed). The stones are radiopaque, which means they show up easily on the radiograph. Some bladder stones are radiolucent, and can only be seen by injecting dye or air into the urinary bladder. Did you also notice the 4 small white spots on the initial x-ray. They are stainless steel sutures put into the muscle after the cat was spayed. It is a perfectly normal and common finding in female cats, as a matter of fact, it lets us know on stray female cats that they have been spayed.

 

Pretty easy so far, huh? Don't get too confident just yet, our next few are a little harder.

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Abnormal X-Ray #1

This radiograph is an abdomen view from a very sick cat. It is 13 years old and losing weight. The fact that you can not visualize individual internal organs like the liver and kidney are a clue that something is wrong. In this cat, which has cancer, there is fluid in the abdomen making it difficult to visualize normal internal organs. In addition, there is a lack of abdominal fat because of the cancer. Abdominal fat in a normal cat surrounds the internal organs, allowing you to make out their structure. When the fat is not present the organs all appear as a blur.

 

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Abnormal X-Ray #2

This cat has a breathing problem. It wheezes and easily loses its breath.

It is a cat that has asthma. The lungs are not as dark as they should be because they are infiltrated with inflammation. Other diseases like fungal infections and cancer can also cause a similar appearance.

Abnormal X-Ray #3

This cat is laying on its back just like the one diagrammed above. If you need to review the normal anatomy scroll back up. This cat was brought in depressed, dehydrated, and not eating.

This cat has an enlarged kidney along with a stone (calculi) at the kidney. If you look closely you will also see a small stone near the other kidney.

Abnormal X-Ray #4

This cat is laying on its back also. It has the same symptoms as the cat in the picture directly above.

This time we will give you a clue- how many kidneys do you see?

Abnormal X-Ray #5

This cat is laying on its side. It has a problem with something in its intestinal tract. As a clue, do you see the normal organs like kidney and stomach?

You don't see normal internal organs because the abdomen is almost completed occupied by the large intestine that is severely distended with stool. This is a serious disease called obstipation. Many times it requires surgical correction.

If you would like to look at more x-rays click on the medical link below and go into the section for each individual species. Have fun....

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