The importance of canine pancreatic lipase in relation to ultrasound examination

Abstract

Pancreatitis represents the most often met pathology of the exocrine pancreas. It can be acute or chronic depending on the percentage of lesions to the parenchyma. The causes of the pathology aren’t fully understood yet but it has been observed that inadequate nutrition has a really important role. Some breeds are thought to be more predisposed to this pathology such as: Yorkshire Terrier, Cocker, Dachshund. The clinical signs can range widely; many patients are subclinical (especially the ones with chronic pancreatitis), while others can have a variety of gastro-intestinal signs. We can divide this signs into characteristic ones (such as vomiting, diarrhea, apathy, abdominal pain) and uncharacteristic signs (such as ascites, jaundice, fever). Seeing the complexity of this pathology, just a simple clinical examination won’t help us diagnose it, but will give us clues for what paraclinical exams to take. This article will present the correlation between ultrasound imagistic findings considered to be the main tool for examination of the pancreatic structure and canine pancreatic lipase (also known as CpL), considered to be the golden standard for detecting pancreatic disorders.