Liver stiffness using transient elastography is applicable to canines for hepatic disease models.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the best position and best exploration probe for determining liver stiffness (LS) in dogs using transient liver elastography (TE). Thirteen dogs were used in the study. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Morphometric measurements taken were thoracic circumference, weight and height. Elastographic measurements were taken in 4 anatomical positions using two different probes: medium (M) and small (S). The exploration was considered correct when the success rate was above 60% and the interquartile range of the measurements did not exceed 30%. The best measurements were obtained in the middle of the 6th-9th intercostal spaces, with the dog in the left lateral position and using probe M for preference in adults and probe S mandatory for animals <2 years. The correlation between probes was 99%. Intra-observer variability showed an intra-class correlation of 97.6%. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: TE is a technique that is reproducible in dogs.