Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Increased canine pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity (cPLI) and 1,2-o-dilauryl-rac-glycero-3-glutaric acid-(6'-methylresorufin) ester (DGGR) lipase in dogs with evidence of portal hypertension and normal pancreatic histology: a pilot study.
- Journal:
- Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc
- Year:
- 2021
- Authors:
- Serrano, Gonçalo et al.
- Affiliation:
- Small Animal Department
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
In this study, researchers looked at six dogs that had liver disease and signs of portal hypertension (increased pressure in the blood vessels of the liver) but did not have pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) based on tissue samples. They found that four of these dogs had high levels of a specific pancreatic enzyme (canine pancreatic lipase) and two had elevated levels of another type of lipase. The results suggest that having portal hypertension might cause these enzyme levels to rise even when the pancreas is healthy. However, the researchers caution that more studies are needed to confirm these findings, so veterinarians should be careful when interpreting these test results in dogs with portal hypertension.
Abstract
The clinical presentations of both liver disease and pancreatitis are nonspecific and overlapping, which may cause difficulty in diagnosis. In our retrospective pilot study, we assessed whether dogs with evidence of portal hypertension and absence of pancreatitis on pancreatic histology have increases in canine pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity (cPLI) and 1,2-o-dilauryl-rac-glycero-3-glutaric acid-(6'-methylresorufin) ester (DGGR) lipase. We included dogs that had been presented between 2008 and 2019 if they had normal pancreatic histology, histologically confirmed hepatopathy, and if canine pancreas-specific lipase (Spec cPL; Idexx) or DGGR lipase had been measured. Only dogs with portal hypertension were included. Six dogs fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Four of 6 and 2 of 6 dogs had Spec cPL and DGGR lipase exceeding the upper reference limit, respectively. From the 4 dogs with increased Spec cPL, 2 had concentrations of 200-400 µg/L and 2 had concentrations ≥ 400 µg/L. Our results suggest that canine portal hypertension might lead to increased Spec cPL and DGGR lipase values in the absence of pancreatitis on histology. Until more evidence in a larger number of dogs with portal hypertension is available, both tests should be interpreted cautiously in the presence of portal hypertension.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33797297/