2025, Cilt 41, e0449
Age and Neutering as a Determinant of Liver Size in Cats: A Radiographic Length of the Liver to the Length of the 11th Thoracic Vertebra Ratio
Elif Dogan, Candemir Ozcan, Ayse Basak Dellalbasi
Kastamonu University, Faculty of Veterinary, Surgery Department, 37000, Kastamonu, Türkiye
Keywords: Cat, Liver size, LL/T11 ratio, radiography
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It is generally known that liver size changes in liver diseases. In addition to imaging modalities such as computed tomography, which require anesthesia, radiographic measurements can also be used to measure liver size. The aim of this study was to estimate liver size in healthy cats by radiographic measurement. A total of 60 healthy tabby cats were used in this study. Liver length and T11 vertebra length were measured on right lateral thorax radiographs and LL/T11 ratios were calculated. While 2-sample t test was used for pairwise comparison between groups, ANOVA one-way analysis of variance was used for multiple comparisons. Differences between groups were determined by Tukey comparison test. It was determined that gender and neutering status had no effect on LL/T11 ratio in cats of different age groups. However, statistically significant changes were determined in cats under 1 year of age and over 4 years of age. In conclusion, it was determined that radiographic LL/T11 ratio in cats is a usable index without being affected by the parameters evaluated. Therefore, radiography, which is a more practical application in clinics and animal hospitals, can be used for liver measurements as an alternative to measurement methods requiring anesthesia.