Irreversible PHT is strongly associated with impaired endothelial cell apoptosis and antiapoptotic signaling from perivascular inflammatory cells. These changes are associated with intimal proliferation and vessel narrowing, and thereby may contribute to clinical outcomes associated with pulmonary hypertension.

Background Acute pancreatitis (AP) is associated with a high death rate in dogs, but accurate predictors of early death are still lacking. Objectives To develop a scoring system for prediction of short‐term case fatality in dogs with AP. Animals One hundred sixty‐nine dogs with AP including 138 dogs in the training cohort and 31 dogs in the validation cohort. Methods Multicenter, retrospective cohort study. Survival analysis was used to assess the associations with short‐term death (within 30 days after admission). Independent predictors of death were identified by a stepwise selection method and used for the score calculation. Results Death rate within 30 days after admission was 33% in the training cohort. Four independent risk factors for short‐term death were identified in the training cohort: presence of systemic inflammatory response syndrome, coagulation disorders, increased creatinine and ionized hypocalcemia. Canine Acute Pancreatitis Severity (CAPS) score was developed to predict short‐term death, integrating these 4 factors in a weighted way. A simplified version of CAPS score (sCAPS) including respiratory rate instead of SIRS was also assessed. The area under the receiver‐operating characteristic curve (AUC) of CAPS and sCAPS scores was 0.92 in the training cohort with an optimal cutoff of 11 (sensitivity, 89%; specificity, 90%) and 6 (sensitivity, 96%; specificity, 77%), respectively. CAPS and sCAPS score were validated in the validation cohort with respective AUC of 0.91 and 0.96. Conclusions and Clinical Importance We propose 2 scoring systems that allow early and accurate prediction of short‐term death in dogs with AP.

Background: Adrenal ultrasonography (US) in dogs with hyperadrenocorticism (HAC) is commonly used to distinguish adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-independent (AIHAC) and ACTH-dependent hyperadrenocorticism (ADHAC). To date, no cut-off values for defining adrenal atrophy in cases of adrenal asymmetry have been determined. Given that asymmetrical hyperplasia is sometimes observed in ADHAC, adrenal asymmetry without ultrasonographic proof of adrenocortical tumor such as vascular invasion or metastasis can be equivocal.Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare adrenal US findings between cases of ADHAC and AIHAC in dogs with equivocal adrenal asymmetry (EAA), and to identify useful criteria for their distinction.Animals: Forty dogs with EAA were included. Methods: Ultrasound reports of HAC dogs with adrenal asymmetry without obvious vascular invasion or metastases were reviewed. Dogs were classified as cases of ADHAC (n 5 28) or AIHAC (n 5 19), determined by plasma ACTH concentration. The thickness, shape, and echogenicity of both adrenal glands and presence of adjacent vascular compression were compared between AIHAC and ADHAC groups.Results: The maximal dorsoventral thickness of the smaller gland (SDV) ranged from 2.0 to 5.0 mm in AIHAC and from 5.0 to 15.0 mm in ADHAC. The 95% confidence intervals for estimated sensitivity and specificity of a SDV cut-off set at 5.0 mm in the diagnosis of AIHAC were 82-100 and 82-99%, respectively. Other tested US criteria were found to overlap extensively between the 2 groups, precluding their usefulness for distinction.Conclusion and Clinical Importance: In EAA cases, an SDV 5.0 mm is an appropriate cut-off for AIHAC ultrasonographic diagnosis.

Ureteral obstruction secondary to ureterolithiasis in cats is a challenging situation. Ureteral stenting has recently been introduced to prevent complications that often occurred after ureterotomy or other invasive surgeries. The purpose of this study is to describe the stenting technique and perioperative difficulties, as well as long-term outcome and complications with ureteral stenting in 12 cats with ureteroliths. Fifteen 2.5 Fr soft double pigtail multi-fenestrated ureteral stents were placed in an anterograde fashion under open surgical approaches and with fluoroscopic guidance in 12 cats. Nine cats received a unilateral stent and three received bilateral stents. Ureterotomy or ureteral resection and end-to-end anastomosis were performed in three and four cases, respectively. In six cats, papillotomy was performed to facilitate dilatator and stent placement. All cats recovered well from the surgical procedure, except one cat, which died during the anaesthesia recovery period. Postoperative complications included dysuria (three cases, diagnosed at 15 days, 1 month and 3 months, respectively), urinary tract infection (one case, 1 month after surgery), stent migration requiring stent replacement (one case, 19 months after surgery) and stent obstruction requiring stent removal (three cases with previously end-to-end anastomosis between 2 and 8 months after surgery). Nine cats (75%) were alive at a mean follow-up of 453 ± 194 (123-720) days. The median survival time was >415 days. Stent placement appeared to be a valuable and safe option for treating ureteral obstruction in cats. However, periodic and long-term monitoring of stents is warranted.

Background: Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) determination has been used for 30 years to distinguish ACTHdependent hyperadrenocorticism (ADHAC) from ACTH-independent hyperadrenocorticism (AIHAC) in dogs. However, the few studies that have evaluated its diagnostic accuracy, based in the majority of cases on older assays, have been associated with systematic, but highly variable proportions of misclassified or unclassified cases.Objective: The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the accuracy of a validated ACTH immunoluminometric assay (ILMA) for differentiating between ADHAC and AIHAC.Animals: One hundred and nine dogs with hyperadrenocorticism were included: 91 with ADHAC and 18 with AIHAC. Methods: Retrospective study. Dogs displaying feedback inhibition after the dexamethasone suppression test, adrenal symmetry, or both were considered to have ADHAC. AIHAC was demonstrated by adrenal tumor histology. For each group, ACTH determination by ILMA was reviewed.Results: In the ADHAC group, plasma ACTH measurements ranged between 6 and 1250 pg/mL (median, 30 pg/mL). In the AIHAC group, all ACTH concentrations were below the lower quantification limit of the assay (o5 pg/mL). The 95% confidence interval was 85-100% for sensitivity and 97-100% for specificity in AIHAC diagnosis.Conclusion and Clinical Importance: No overlap in ACTH concentrations was observed between dogs with ADHAC and dogs with AIHAC. The use of a new technique with high analytical sensitivity made it possible to use a low threshold (5 pg/mL), avoiding the misclassification of some ADHAC cases with low, but quantifiable concentrations of ACTH. The assessment of ACTH concentrations by ILMA is an accurate tool for differentiating between ADHAC and AIHAC.