Presentation
5-day history of dyspnea, anorexia, lethargy, ocular discharge, and pyrexia.
Patient Data
There is a moderate amount of pleural effusion with retraction of lung lobes. The trachea is deviated dorsally on the lateral projection. On the ventrodorsal projection there is increase in soft tissue opacity within the cranial thorax. Air bronchograms are noted within the cranial thorax. There is poor abdominal serosal detail.
Impression: Moderate pleural and peritoneal effusion with cardiomegaly. Increased in opacity in the cranial thorax on the ventrodorsal projection may be secondary to atelectasis and fluid
accumulation or bronchopneumonia. Differentials include feline infectious peritonitis and cardiomyopathy or pericardial effusion with associated congestive heart failure.
Case Discussion
The heart was further investigated with echocardiography, and was mildly enlarged due to high output (fever). There was no pericardial effusion. There was a positive coronovirus titer, as well as positive staining in the peritoneal fluid. The cat was euthanized due to poor prognosis. There was pleuritis, peritonitis, and granulomatous inflammation of multiple organs secondary to the infection.
Feline infectious peritonitis can cause pleural, pericardial, and peritoneal effusion. In this case, the pleural effusion resulted in atelectasis of the cranial lung lobes and air bronchograms. This type of alveolar pattern is caused by volume loss and not by inflammatory disease such as pneumonia.
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