Substantial interobserver variation was detected. Standardization of pathologic descriptions of intestinal tissue is necessary for meaningful comparisons with published articles. Clinicians must be cautious about correlating clinical signs and histopathologic descriptions of intestinal biopsy specimens.

An advanced hyper-spectral imaging (HSI) system has been developed having obvious applications for cancer detection. This HSI system is based on state-of-the-art liquid crystal tunable filter technology coupled to an endoscope. The goal of this unique HSI technology being developed is to obtain spatially resolved images of the slight differences in luminescent properties of malignant versus non-malignant tissues. In this report, the development of the instrument is discussed and the capability of the instrument is demonstrated by observing mouse carcinomas in-vivo. It is shown that the instrument successfully distinguishes between normal and malignant mouse skin. It is hoped that the results of this study will lead to advances in the optical diagnosis of cancer in humans.

Abstract. Wedge biopsy of the liver during episodic clinical illness in three male cats showed chronic lymphocytic cholangitis. Principal clinical findings were increased serum alkaline phosphatase activity and hepatomegaly (two cats) associated with anorexia, pyrexia, and weight loss; these signs of illness were intermittent with asymptomatic periods. The hepatic lesions were characterized by lymphoid aggregate or follicle formation, diffusely dispersed lymphocytes and plasma cells, and abnormal bile ducts and ductules. Lymphoid aggregates and diffusely scattered lymphocytes were seen in the pancreas also. The spectrum of hepatic lesions in three cats seemed to represent a progression in the development of the disease. Similarities and dissimilarities between the findings in the three cats and human primary biliary cirrhosis or chronic nonsuppurative destructive cholangitis are discussed. During a prospective search for cats with this disease, other hepatic lesions were found, and it was concluded that cats may be affected by more than one pathogenic mechanism culminating in chronic cholangitis or cholangiohepatitis.Hepatic disease and icterus are common in cats, and the spectrum of lesions is diverse. The cause and pathogenesis are difficult to determine in most cases. Feline hepatic syndromes have been described, however, including hepatic lipidosis [ 11, cholelithiasis and biliary obstruction [lo], Platynosomum infection [ 1 11, cholangitis or cholangiohepatitis [5, 6, 161, and metastatic or primary neoplasia [9]. One report of chronic cholangitis in a cat relates a clinical response to corticosteroid treatment [161.Inflammatory disease of the biliary tract may coexist with chronic interstitial pancreatitis [5]. The lesions may be related in cats because the bile duct and pancreatic duct fuse before entering the duodenum. The pancreatic lesions are characterized by interstitial fibrosis and infiltrates of mononuclear inflammatory cells [5]. Another report describes a cat that had periodic episodes of illness characterized by anorexia, pyrexia, icterus, and progressive weight loss [6]. The lesions were cholangitis, bile duct hyperplasia, and pancreatic interlobular fibrosis.At a recent regional veterinary pathology conference, a feline hepatic lesion characterized by lymphocytic cholangitis, biliary fibrosis, and bile duct hyperplasia was reported (Dr. J. Orr, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, Saskatoon, 99

No abstract

This study was designed to test the feasibility and utility of computed tomography and radiolabeled granulocytes in evaluating the feline pancreas in six normal cats. Autologous granulocytes were labeled with 99mTc-hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime (HMPAO) and injected into each cat. Whole body scintigraphic images were acquired at 1, 5, 15, and 30 minutes, and 1, 2, and 4 hours following injection. The following day, each cat was anesthetized and computed tomographic images of the abdomen were acquired both pre- and post-contrast. Following CT, a surgical pancreatic biopsy was collected. Feline granulocytes were successfully labeled with 99mTc-HMPAO with a labeling efficiency of 15-42% (average of 27%). An average of 5.42 x 10(7) cells in a 2 mL volume were injected into each cat. Less than 1 minute was required to acquire 500,000 count images. Granulocytes distributed predominantly to the lung, spleen and liver in order of decreasing activity. Only background activity was identified in the region of the pancreas. The pancreas was easily identified on CT images of the abdomen. The pancreas was hypoattenuating relative to both the spleen and liver. The pancreas enhanced with the administration of contrast medium, peaking immediately, then gradually clearing over the 30-minute test period. Following contrast medium administration the pancreas remained hypoattenuating relative to the spleen. All biopsies confirmed the absence of pancreatic inflammation in the study cats and no adverse effects were recognized as a result of pancreatic biopsy. Both computed tomography and radiolabeled granulocytes appear to hold promise as imaging procedures for the detection of feline pancreatitis. We predict that these described normal parameters may be altered in the face of inflammation, facilitating detection of feline pancreatitis. Data from cases of suspect feline pancreatitis are needed to evaluate these methods for clinical utility.