Cytologic findings and diagnostic yield in 92 dogs undergoing fine-needle aspiration of the pancreas.

The diagnosis of pancreatic disease in small animal veterinary patients is complicated by nonspecific clinical signs and the limitations of diagnostic testing. Pancreatic cytology is a potential diagnostic tool, but safety and diagnostic yield are not well characterized in large patient cohorts. We hypothesized that pancreatic fine-needle aspiration (FNA) in dogs would frequently generate diagnostic-quality samples and subsequent adverse medical events would be uncommon.

Safety of ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration of the feline pancreas: a case-control study.

The safety of fine-needle aspiration (FNA) of the feline pancreas has not been reported. The incidence of complications following ultrasound-guided pancreatic FNA in 73 cats (pancreatic aspirate [PA] cats) with clinical and ultrasonographic evidence of pancreatic disease was compared with complications in two groups of matched control cats also diagnosed with pancreatic disease that either had abdominal organs other than the pancreas aspirated (control FNA, n = 63) or no aspirates performed (control no FNA, n = 61). The complication rate within 48 h of the ultrasound and/or aspirate procedure did not differ among the PA cats (11%), control FNA (14%) or control no FNA (8%) cats.

Effect of pancreatic tissue sampling on serum pancreatic enzyme levels in clinically healthy dogs.

Little is known about the potential consequences of pancreatic tissue sampling in dogs. The goal of the present study was to evaluate changes in serum trypsin-like immunoreactivity and canine-specific pancreatic lipase after pancreatic fine-needle aspiration and surgical biopsy in 27 clinically healthy dogs. Presurgical, ultrasound-guided aspiration of the pancreas was performed with the dogs under sedation.

Microalbuminuria and comparison of serologic testing for exposure to Borrelia burgdorferi in nonclinical Labrador and Golden Retrievers.

Canine Lyme disease is caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi after transmission by an Ixodes tick, typically resulting in joint pain, fever and lethargy. Lyme nephritis is a poorly characterized syndrome associated with severe glomerular and tubular renal injury and poor clinical outcome in young to middle-aged dogs positive for exposure to B. burgdorferi.