The objective of the study was to describe the ultrasonographic findin
gs of urinary bladder urolithiasis and to determine the diagnostic val
ue of the technique in feline lower urinary tract diseases (LUTD). Phy
sical examination of the urinary system and routine clinicopathologica
l analysis of the blood and urine were performed on 32 cats presented
with clinical symptoms of LUTD. Cystosonography was done on all of the
cats, while plain radiography was performed on 8 and double contrast
cystography on 2 cats. Sonography of the bladder provided the followin
g diagnoses: urolithiasis and chronic cystitis: 24 cases, chronic cyst
itis without urolithiasis: 4 cases, bladder neoplasm: 1 case, negative
sonographic finding: 3 cases. Bladder calculi and/or plugs were diagn
osed easily, up to a size of 2 mm, according to acoustic shadowing and
/or reverberation and gravitation. When the bladder was empty, it was
filled up with physiologic saline solution to visualise its contents m
ore easily. Sonography proved to be a useful technique for diagnosing
urinary bladder calculi and/or plugs even when they were radiolucent a
nd for distinguishing among the different causes of LUTD. Although ult
rasonography is a valuable diagnostic tool, radiography is still neces
sary to explore lower urinary tract diseases, especially when cystoson
ography provides negative results or urethral obstruction is suspected
.