Clinical and Laboratory Investigation of Experimental Acute Pancreatitis in the Cat

Abstract

The main objective of this study is the serial evaluation of clinical and laboratory changes in cats with experimentally-induced acute pancreatitis (AP). A total of 16 clinically healthy young adult DSH cats were included in the study. Acute pancreatitis was induced in 10 (AP group) by infusing oleic acid into the pancreatic duct, while the other 6 cats served as sham-operated controls (C group). Depression or lethargy, anorexia, abdominal pain, and a palpable mass in the anterior abdomen were the main clinical findings in cats of the AP group. Laboratory data revealed non-regenerative anaemia, mild hypoalbuminaemia, transient hyperglycaemia, and hypertriglyceridaemia. Serum lipase activity, feline trypsin-like immunoreactivity (ITLI) concentration, and feline pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity (fPLI) concentration increased significantly within the first 24 hours after the infusion of oleic acid, with time-dependent positive correlation. In both group of cats urine amylase-creatinine ratio and amylase-creatinine clearance ratio were increased. In cats of the AP group, abdominal ultrasonography revealed a hypoechogenic and enlarged pancreas, along with peripancreatic fluid accumulation. Peritoneal effusion was consistent with a sterile exudate, with higher lipase but lower amylase activities when compared to their serum counterparts in all AP group cats. The induction of AP was confirmed by pancreatic histopathology. AP is characterized by vague symptomatology. Increases in serum ITLI and fPLI concentrations occur early in cats with pancreatitis. In general the two analytes run a parallel course, but fPLI may be increased longer than ITLI. The measurement of lipase activity in the peritoneal fluid could be considered diagnostic.Despite the fact that acute pancreatitis (AP) in the cat is difficult to diagnose, it is widely accepted that it is a rather commonly occurring though underdiagnosed disease (1-2). The aetiopathogenesis of feline AP is poorly understood, although it has been attributed to several causative and risk

Prevalence and Clinicopathological Features of Triaditis in a Prospective Case Series of Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Cats

“…Furthermore, focal inflammatory lesions of pancreatitis might escape diagnosis . Serum total lipase activity and serum fTLI are not considered sensitive or specific for the diagnosis of exocrine pancreatic disease in cats, and this was confirmed in our study for the fTLI test. Concerning serum total lipase activity, although a mild positive correlation was detected between median activity of this test and the severity score of pancreatitis, the difference between the controls and the triaditis group was not statistically significant.…”

Diagnosis of pancreatitis in dogs and cats

“…In cats with experimentally induced pancreatitis, feline TLI (fTLI) concentration increases sharply after induction of pancreatitis, but returns below the cut‐off value within 48 hours (Zavros et al . ). Feline TLI has been evaluated for the diagnosis of spontaneous pancreatitis in cats and several cut‐off values have been suggested (Swift et al .…”

Canine and feline pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity

“…In cats with both experimentally induced and spontaneous pancreatitis, serum fPLI concentration has been demonstrated to be the most sensitive and specific serum marker currently available, although additional studies are needed to evaluate the performance characteristics of serum fPLI concentrations in different cats with a variety of diseases. 25,[36][37][38][71][72][73] The availability of a useful diagnostic test is of particular importance in cats, because other serum markers, especially serum amylase and lipase activities, have lacked diagnostic utility. Just as for canine studies, it is challenging to compare results directly among different feline studies owing to differences in the types of study, the criteria used to make a diagnosis of pancreatitis, and the severity of pancreatitis.…”

“…As in dogs, studies in cats should be interpreted with caution because they rely upon an imperfect gold standard for the diagnosis of pancreatitis. In cats with both experimentally induced and spontaneous pancreatitis, serum fPLI concentration has been demonstrated to be the most sensitive and specific serum marker currently available, although additional studies are needed to evaluate the performance characteristics of serum fPLI concentrations in different cats with a variety of diseases . The availability of a useful diagnostic test is of particular importance in cats, because other serum markers, especially serum amylase and lipase activities, have lacked diagnostic utility.…”