ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Dentistry and Oromaxillofacial Surgery
This article is part of the Research TopicDisorders associated with difficulties in opening or closing the mouthView all articles
Clinical Features and Computed Tomography Findings of Retrobulbar Disease in Cats
Provisionally accepted
Kristen Hasegawa
Anna Vincek
Janny Evenhuis
Stephanie Lynne Goldschmidt
Maria M Soltero-Rivera
Natalia Vapniarsky
Kathryn L Good
Juan Claudio Gutierrez
Boaz Arzi*- University of California, Davis, Davis, United States
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The objective of this study was to describe the clinical features and computed tomography (CT) findings of cats affected with retrobulbar disease. The medical records of 37 client-owned cats diagnosed with retrobulbar disease between the years 2009-2024 were reviewed. Clinical information, signalment, the presenting specialty service, clinical signs, diagnostic results, treatment, and outcomes were documented. CT features of retrobulbar disease as well as cytology and histopathology were reviewed. Fifteen cats (40.5%) were diagnosed with primary disease in the retrobulbar space and 22 cats (59.5%) were diagnosed with secondary retrobulbar disease. Out of the 15 cats with primary retrobulbar disease, 9 were diagnosed with neoplasia, 3 were diagnosed with an infectious/inflammatory process, 2 were traumatic in origin, and 1 cat had a cyst. Of the 22 cats with secondary retrobulbar disease, 21 cats were diagnosed with neoplasia and 1 cat was diagnosed with an infectious disease. CT findings of orbital osteolysis and reduction of retrobulbar fat were significantly associated with neoplasia. Survival outcomes for cats diagnosed with a primary retrobulbar infectious/inflammatory disease were significantly better than for those diagnosed with primary or secondary retrobulbar neoplasia. This study found that neoplasia is the most common primary and secondary retrobulbar disease in cats. Due to the significantly different prognostic implications between cats with primary infectious/inflammatory retrobulbar disease, primary neoplasia and secondary neoplasia, we also confirmed that CT is an essential part of diagnosis and characterization of the extent of the disease, and that additional diagnostics such as histopathology, cytology, culture and susceptibility, or fungal cultures are needed to further support and guide treatment options. Finally, cats that present with either primary infectious/inflammatory or traumatic retrobulbar disease carry favorable prognosis with either medical or surgical intervention.
Keywords: Exophthalmos, feline, Infection, Inflammation, Neoplasia, Orbit, Pain, Retropulsion
Received: 11 Nov 2025; Accepted: 16 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Hasegawa, Vincek, Evenhuis, Goldschmidt, Soltero-Rivera, Vapniarsky, Good, Gutierrez and Arzi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Boaz Arzi
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