Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How D-dimer blood test helps diagnose pulmonary embolism in dogs
By Epstein, S E et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2013·Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Diagnostic utility of D-dimer concentrations in dogs with pulmonary embolism.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study looked at 10 dogs diagnosed with pulmonary embolism (PE), a serious condition where blood clots block blood vessels in the lungs. Researchers measured D-dimer levels, which can indicate clotting issues, to see if they could help diagnose PE. They found that a D-dimer level below 250 ng/mL was good at ruling out PE, but it wasn't definitive, as dogs could still have PE with normal levels. The results suggest that while low D-dimer levels can be reassuring, they don't completely rule out the possibility of PE in dogs.
People also search for: dog breathing problems D-dimer test · pulmonary embolism in dogs symptoms · dog blood clot diagnosis
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a complication of systemic disease in dogs. Antemortem diagnosis is challenging because of the lack of a confirmatory test. OBJECTIVES: To retrospectively determine the diagnostic utility of D-dimer concentrations in dogs with necropsy-confirmed PE. ANIMALS: Ten dogs with PE confirmed at necropsy that had D-dimer concentrations measured and 10 control dogs with D-dimer concentrations available that lacked PE on necropsy. METHODS: The computerized medical record database was searched for dogs with necropsy-confirmed PE that had D-dimer concentrations measured at that visit. An age-, sex-, and breed-matched control group was identified. Signalment, location of PE, and coagulation profiles were collected. Sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value (NPV), and positive predictive value (PPV) were calculated using a D-dimer concentration of 250 ng/mL. RESULTS: Coagulation profiles were not different between dogs with and without PE. Using 250 ng/mL as a cut-off D-dimer concentration, the sensitivity and specificity were 80 and 30%, respectively, for the diagnosis of PE. The NPV and PPV were 60 and 53.0%, respectively. D-dimer concentration <103 ng/mL had 100% sensitivity for ruling out PE and no value was 100% specific. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: D-dimer concentrations <250 ng/mL have a high sensitivity for the absence of PE, but PE still can occur in dogs with a normal D-dimer concentration. Increased D-dimer concentrations are not specific for PE.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24033697/