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PANCREATITIS IN CATS - DIAGNOSIS

This information is provided by Provet for educational purposes only.

You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.

Description
 Feline pancreatitis can present a diagnostic challenge.

Diagnostic tests in cats

In cats Amylase and lipase are not helpful.

In one study of Feline Trypsin-like Immunoreactivity (TLI) - the normal serum range was reported to be 17-49 ug/L. Normal cats had a mean of 33ug/L. Cats that were ill but without pancreatitis had a mean TLI of 34ug/L. Cats with pancreatitis had a mean TLI of 100ug/L. This would suggest that TLI might be helpful but unfortunately there was wide overlap between these groups - normal cats had TLI's up to 88ug/L and cats with pancreatitis had TLI's as low as 14ug/L. In addition, other authors have reported cats which do not have pancreatitis with a TLI of 184ug/L.

Ultrasound : abdominal ultrasound is less sensitive and less specific than it is in dogs. Ultrasonographic changes (hypoechoic pancreas) are found quite frequently in vomiting cats, but they usually do not have pancreatitis.

Some authors consider the most reliable test for the diagnosis of pancreatitis in cats to be biopsy. 3 forms are currently recognised :

  • Necrotic pancreatitis
  • Suppurative pancreatitis
  • Lymphocytic pancreatitis

At the North American Veterinary Congress 1999 one author (M.D.Willard - Texas A & M) reported seeing lymphocytic infiltration in feline pancreas biopsies and his group are speculating about a possible relationship between the antigens that cause intestinal lymphocytic infiltrates (part of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease syndrome) and those that may cause pancreatic inflammation.

However, nowadays TLI tests are considered the most reliable for diagnosis of pancreatitis in both cats and dogs 

 

Reference

2012 Sep;41(3):312-24. doi: 10.1111/j.1939-165X.2012.00458.x. Epub 2012 Aug 2.

Canine and feline pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity.

Xenoulis PG1, Steiner JM.

Abstract

The diagnosis of pancreatitis in dogs and cats can be challenging. Several diagnostic tests have been evaluated over the years, but the majority have been shown to be of limited utility owing to poor performance or limited availability or because invasive procedures are required. Assays for the measurement of pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity (cPLI for dogs and fPLI for cats) were first developed over a decade ago and now include Spec cPL and SNAP cPL for dogs and Spec fPL and SNAP fPL for cats. Owing to their high sensitivity and specificity for pancreatitis compared with those of other serum tests, concentrations of cPLI and fPLI have been demonstrated to be the serum tests of choice for evaluation of dogs and cats, respectively, suspected of having pancreatitis. False-positive and false-negative results can occur, and recognition of the limitations of pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity assays is important. As there is currently no gold standard for antemortem diagnosis of pancreatitis in dogs and cats, the combination of a complete history and physical examination, measurement of pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity, and ultrasonographic examination of the pancreas is the best approach for an accurate noninvasive diagnosis of pancreatitis.

© 2012 American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.

Feedback Request

Provet would like to hear from you about cases of feline pancreatitis that you have seen, and in particular if the disease was associated with inflammatory bowel disease. feedback@provet.co.uk 

Last updated : January  2016

 

 
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