Sonography of the healthy feline jejuno-ileal junction
This is a very niche observation but something that I’ve not seen described elsewhere. In cats without any evidence of gastrointestinal disease there is often an asymmetrical thickening of the small intestinal mucosa at the jejuno-ileal junction. This is located between 1.5 – 4.0cm proximal to the ileo-caeco-colic junction.
https://www.cabdirect.org/cabdirect/abstract/20123064781
Longitudinal view of the small intestine at the jejuno-ileal junction in a cat with no gastrointestinal signs.
The same phenomenon in another cat. Transverse view of the jejuno-ileal junction. Local thickening of the mucosa is responsible for an increase in overall wall thickness.
…and again in a third cat
Before I realised that this is normal for many cats, I’ve often interpreted this as potentially pathological.
Always thanks for your interesting posts. I’m a big fan of yours.
I also have observed similar US findings in cats without GI signs, and had tried to find similar cases or reports.
And there was a nice study!
High-frequency ultrasound of Peyer’s patches in the small intestine of young cats. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. 2015;18:303–309. From the this study, these symmetrical thickening of the small intestinal mucosa are normal lymphatic tissue (could be seen with high-frequency ultrasound)!
Ah!!! Amazing, yes that’s exactly it. Glad I wrote the post now…I’ve wondered about that feature for years. Many thanks for your help