Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in feline normal uvea : preliminary report

Purpose: The purpose of this prospective study was to describe the perfusion of the normal feline uvea after injection of a second-generation ultrasound contrast media (Sonovue, Bracco). Methods: The study population included a total of 10 cats and 20 eyes. All animals were clinically healthy and without ocular diseases, as seen by ophthalmic and ultrasonographic examination of the eye. A standard grey-scale scan was performed, followed by the CEUS examination. After subjective evaluation of the videos, three region of interest (ROI) were drawn for each eye at the iris (I), ciliary bodies (CB) and choroid (C). Timeintensity curves were generated using a commercial software (Qcontrast, Bracco) and perfusion parameters were automatically calculated. Results: The flow of the contrast media was easily detected first in the C, followed by CB and I. Mean peak intensity was 58.50% in C, 39.10% in CB and 31.18% in I, mean time to peak was 15.16 in C, 21.19 in CB and 20.42 s in I. Conclusions: This is the first CEUS study of the normal feline eye. These data represent the base to understand the normal eye perfusion in cats. In the future, animals suffering from uveal diseases could be compared