Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
A descriptive study of the histopathologic and biochemical liver test abnormalities in dogs with liver disease in Thailand.
- Journal:
- Canadian journal of veterinary research = Revue canadienne de recherche veterinaire
- Year:
- 2020
- Authors:
- Assawarachan, Sathidpak N et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Companion Animal Clinical Sciences
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
This study looked at liver disease in dogs in Thailand, focusing on changes in blood tests and liver tissue samples. The researchers found that chronic hepatitis, which is long-term inflammation of the liver, was the most common issue, affecting nearly 38% of the dogs studied. Other liver problems included scarring, fatty liver changes, and various types of liver inflammation and cancer. They discovered that certain blood test results, like high levels of specific liver enzymes, could help identify liver issues, but these results should be considered alongside the dog's history and symptoms before deciding on a liver biopsy. Overall, the findings suggest that careful evaluation of blood tests and clinical signs is crucial for diagnosing liver disease in dogs.
Abstract
The present study describes the serum biochemical alterations and histopathological abnormalities in the liver tissue of dogs with liver disease. A survey of hepatic lesions was conducted using ultrasound-guided percutaneous needle biopsies. The hematologic and biochemical changes in dogs with liver lesions were recorded. Chronic hepatitis was the most common liver histopathologic finding (37.9%). Other common findings included liver fibrosis (19.5%), vacuolar hepatopathy (10.3%), cholangiohepatitis (9.2%), hepatocellular carcinoma (4.6%), cholangitis (3.4%), cholangiocarcinoma (2.3%), and congestive hepatopathy (2.3%). Greater than 2-fold elevation of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was a useful indicator, with a sensitivity of 40% to 65% for diagnosing all liver pathologies. Greater than 2-fold elevation of serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) without significant elevation of ALT was useful for diagnosing liver diseases affected by inflammatory or regressive changes (sensitivity of 40% to 50%). Elevation of ALT, ALP, or a combination of ALT and ALP had a high sensitivity of up to 90% for identifying dogs with liver pathology. Hepatic injury and cholestasis enzymes should be interpreted together with patient history, clinical signs, and liver ultrasonographic appearance before performing a liver biopsy.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32801457/