Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Predicting recovery in dogs after surgery for congenital liver shunt
By Kummeling, Anne et al.·Published in Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)·2012·Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals, Netherlands·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Hepatic gene expression and plasma albumin concentration related to outcome after attenuation of a congenital portosystemic shunt in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 48 dogs with a congenital portosystemic shunt (CPSS) underwent surgery to correct the issue, which can cause serious health problems. Researchers found that measuring certain liver-related factors, like plasma albumin levels and specific gene expressions, helped predict how well the dogs would recover after surgery. In fact, they could accurately predict recovery in 83% of the dogs by looking at these values. Dogs with higher levels of albumin and specific genes showed a better chance of complete recovery after the procedure.
People also search for: dog congenital portosystemic shunt treatment · CPSS surgery recovery in dogs · liver health in dogs after surgery
Abstract
In dogs with a congenital portosystemic shunt (CPSS), the outcome after CPSS attenuation is difficult to predict but is most likely related to hepatic and vascular proliferation that follows the attenuation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of shunt localization (extrahepatic vs. intrahepatic), plasma albumin concentration and hepatic mRNA expression of 19 genes involved in hepatic and vascular growth. The study population consisted of 48 dogs that were referred for surgical ligation of a single intrahepatic or extrahepatic CPSS. Gene expression was measured in intraoperatively sampled hepatic tissue with quantitative real-time PCR. Albumin, methionine adenosyltransferase 2α (MAT2α) and HGF activator (HGFac) were positively associated with complete recovery after CPSS attenuation using multivariate statistical analyses. Individual outcome could be correctly predicted in 83% of dogs using albumin, MAT2α and HGFac as high or low values compared to cut-off values of 19.5 g/L, 0.457 and 0.974, respectively. These variables predicted outcome after CPSS ligation better than shunt localization or albumin alone. Other evaluated gene products were not correlated with outcome.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21641243/