Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Histological evaluation of the adrenal glands of seven dogs with hyperadrenocorticism treated with trilostane.
- Journal:
- The Veterinary record
- Year:
- 2007
- Authors:
- Reusch, C E et al.
- Affiliation:
- Clinic for Small Animal Internal Medicine
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
This study looked at the adrenal glands of seven dogs with hyperadrenocorticism (a condition where the body produces too much cortisol) that were treated with a medication called trilostane. Six of these dogs had a form of the condition linked to the pituitary gland, and their adrenal glands showed significant changes, with some areas being enlarged. One dog had an adrenal tumor, but its other adrenal gland only showed mild changes. Additionally, five of the dogs had some level of damage to their adrenal tissue, with two experiencing severe damage. In some cases, the damage was serious enough to cause a related condition called hypoadrenocorticism (where the adrenal glands do not produce enough hormones). Overall, the treatment with trilostane had mixed results, with some dogs showing significant issues despite the medication.
Abstract
The lesions in the adrenal glands of seven dogs with hyperadrenocorticism that had been treated with trilostane were studied histologically. The glands of the six dogs with pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism had moderate to severe cortical hyperplasia that was either diffuse or nodular. The lesions were more pronounced in the zona fasciculata than in the zona reticularis, and the zona glomerulosa was normal. In the dog with a functional adrenal tumour the non-tumour bearing adrenal gland showed mild nodular hyperplasia. Five of the seven dogs had variable degrees of adrenal necrosis, which was severe in two of them. The terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated DUTP nick-end labelling (TUNEL) reaction specified areas of cell death as apoptosis in three of the dogs, and was positive in one of the dogs without visible areas of cell death. There were variable degrees of cortical haemorrhage in three of the dogs. In some of the dogs the lesions were severe enough to lead to hypoadrenocorticism.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17308018/