Ante mortem diagnosis of pancreatitis in four cats

Abstract

The ante mortem detection of pancreatitis in four cats is reported. Clinical findings included vomiting, lethargy and constipation in all the cats, diabetes mellitus in two cats and severe jaundice and a vitamin K responsive coagulopathy in one cat. Serum amylase was normal in all the cats and serum lipase was elevated in one azotaemic cat. Ultrasonography revealed predominantly hypoechoic masses in the right cranial quandrant of the abdomen of each cat. The anatomical location of these masses was consistent with the pancreas. Gross examination supported these ultrasonographic observations. The pancreatic lesions were characterised histologically as acute necrotising pancreatitis, acute necrotising pancreatitis with abscessation, chronic active pancreatitis with cystic dilatation of the pancreatic duct causing bile duct obstruction and chronic active pancreatitis with nodular hyperplasia. This report indicates that pancreatitis is a clinically significant disease in cats that may be diagnosed ante mortem.

Prevalence and Histopathologic Characteristics of Pancreatitis in Cats

“…19,26,35,38 Acute, recurrent acute, and chronic pancreatitis are all recognized as clinical entities. 26 Antemortem diagnosis can be challenging owing to the vague nonspecific clinical signs including anorexia, lethargy, and weight loss, and the lack of sensitive and specific conventional diagnostic tests such as radiography and measurement of serum lipase and amylase concentrations.…”

“…Recent advances in diagnostic testing, including abdominal ultrasound and measurement of serum pancreatic lipase concentrations, have facilitated the antemortem diagnosis of feline pancreatitis, although pancreatic histology is still felt to represent the gold standard test for the diagnosis of feline pancreatitis. 19,21,30,35,37,42 Histopathology is still considered the most reliable diagnostic test for pancreatitis in the cat. 10,41,42 However, despite the high prevalence of feline pancreatic disease, no detailed description on the histopathologic nature of this disease is currently available in the literature.…”

Current concepts in the diagnosis of pancreatitis in dags and cats

“…Η ακριβής συχνότητα εμφάνισης της πα γκρεατίτιδας είναι άγνωστη, όμως νεκροτομικά ευρή ματα μιας μεγάλης αναδρομικής μελέτης έδειξαν ότι περίπου στο 0,9% 9.342 σκύλων και στο 0,6% 6.504 γα τών, το πάγκρεας εμφάνιζε παθολογοανατομικές αλ λοιώσεις παγκρεατίτιδας (Hänichen and Minkus 1990). Η κλινική διάγνωση της παγκρεατίτιδας ήταν και πα-ραμένει δύσκολη, ενώ πρόσφατες μελέτες δείχνουν ότι στην πλειονότητα των περιπτώσεων παραμένει κλινικά αδιάγνωστη, κυρίως λόγω των μη ειδικών κλινικών, αι ματολογικών και βιοχημικών ευρημάτων που τη χαρα κτηρίζουν, καθώς και τη μέχρι πρόσφατα έλλειψη ει δικών και ευαίσθητων διαγνωστικών μεθόδων (Simpson et al 1994, Steiner 2003, Newman et al 2004). …”

“…Τα πιο συχνά εμφανιζόμενα συμπτώματα είναι ανορεξία (63%-97%), κατάπτωση (50%-100%) και απώλεια βά ρους (21%-40%), ενώ, σε αντίθεση με το σκΰλο, γα-στρεντερικά συμπτώματα, όπως έμετος (35%-52%) και διάρροια (11%-15%), καθώς και κοιλιακό άλγος (10%-25%), εμφανίζονται λιγότερο συχνά (Hill and Van Winkle 1993, Gerhardt et al 2001, Kimmel et al 2001, Ferreri et al 2003. Κατά την κλινική εξέταση συ χνά διαπιστώνονται αφυδάτωση, υποθερμία (συχνό τερα) ή πυρετός και ίκτερος (Hill and Van Winkle 1993, Simpson et al 1994, Kimmel et al 2001, Ferreri et al 2003. Επίσης, σε μερικές γάτες (3%-23%), ανι χνεύεται κατά την ψηλάφηση μάζα στην πρόσθια κοι λία (Hill and Van Winkle 1993, Kimmel et al 2001, Ferreri et al 2003.…”

KÖPEKLERDE DENEYSEL AKUT PANKREATiTiSDE KLiNiK, HEMATOLOJiK, BiYOKiMYASAL, ULTRASONOGRAFiK, PATOLOJiK BULGULAR VE SAĞALTIM

“…Anoreksi, dehidrasyon, bitkinlik, depresyon, bazen kusma, pis kokulu, yağlı, sulu dışkı-larna, karın ağrısı, sarılık, solunum güçlüğü kan pıhtılaşma bozuklukları ve kardiak aritminin akut pankreatitisin ilk beş günü içinde görülen klinik semptomlar olduğu, hastalığın beşinci gününden sonra belirtilerin şiddetinin azaldığı ve hayvanların klinik olarak normal göründük-Ieri bildirilmektedir (l8, 21,26,31,39,41).…”