Correlation between ultrasonographic measurements of the ileum and serum cobalamin concentrations in healthy cats and cats with chronic gastrointestinal signs: A pilot study.

Abstract

Assessing intestinal health in cats with chronic gastrointestinal signs remains challenging. Serum cobalamin concentration is commonly used as a marker of ileal dysfunction, whereas ultrasonography enables morphological evaluation of the gastrointestinal tract. This study investigated the correlation between ultrasonographic ileal wall thickness and serum cobalamin concentrations in healthy cats and cats with chronic gastrointestinal signs. Twelve cats were divided into a symptomatic group (G1, n = 6) and a healthy control group (G2, n = 6) and underwent laboratory testing and abdominal ultrasonography. Mean ileal thickness was slightly greater in G1 (0.22 ± 0.03 cm) than in G2 (0.21 ± 0.02 cm), although the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.48). Serum cobalamin concentrations also did not differ significantly between groups (p = 0.81). Correlation analysis demonstrated a weak, nonsignificant positive correlation in G1 and a moderate, nonsignificant correlation in G2. These findings suggest that ileal thickness alone is not a reliable predictor of serum cobalamin concentration and highlight the need for multifactorial diagnostic approaches and studies with larger sample sizes.