Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Blood test IGF-1 shows liver recovery after shunt surgery in dogs
By Serrano, G et al.·Published in Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)·2021·Small Animal Department·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Serum insulin-like growth factor-1 as a marker of improved liver function and surgical outcome in dogs with congenital extrahepatic portosystemic shunts.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with congenital extrahepatic portosystemic shunts (cEHPSS), a condition affecting liver blood flow, underwent surgery to correct the issue. Researchers measured a specific protein called serum insulin-like growth factor-1 (sIGF-1c) before and after surgery to see if it could indicate how well the dogs were doing post-operation. They found that sIGF-1c levels increased significantly after surgery, especially in dogs whose shunts were successfully closed. While sIGF-1c showed promise as a marker for surgical outcomes, other tests were more reliable for assessing liver function.
People also search for: dog liver shunt surgery recovery · cEHPSS treatment in dogs · increased liver function markers in dogs
Abstract
Serum insulin-like growth factor-1 concentration (sIGF-1c) is reduced in various hepatopathies in humans and dogs. This work aimed to evaluate sIGF-1c in dogs before and after congenital extrahepatic portosystemic shunt (cEHPSS) attenuation, in relation to surgical outcome (closed vs. persistent shunting). Secondarily, it aimed to assess if sIGF-1c can discriminate between cEHPSS and portal vein hypoplasia (PVH) and finally compare sIGF-1c ratio (postoperative/preoperative sIGF-1c) to pre-prandial serum bile acids (preBA), post-prandial bile acids (postBA), bile acid stimulation test (BAST) and fasting ammonia (FA), regarding surgical outcome. Thirty-nine dogs were included: 15 with closed cEHPSS, 15 with persistent shunting and nine with PVH. Transplenic portal scintigraphy was used to classifiy surgical outcome. There was no significant difference in sIGF-1c between dogs with cEHPSS and those with PVH (P > 0.05). Postoperative sIGF-1c increased in all dogs (P < 0.001 and P = 0.023 for closed and persistent shunting, respectively) and the increase was more pronounced in closed cEHPSS than in persistent shunting (P = 0.006). Using an optimal sIGF-1c ratio cut-off of 2.23, the sensitivity was 93.3% and the specificity was 66.7% for differentiation between surgical outcomes. Serum pre-prandial bile acids, postBA BAST and FA had sensitivities of 80%, 86.7%, 86.7%, 60%; and specificities of 100%, 93.3%, 93.3%, 100%, respectively. There was a greater increase in sIGF-1c after shunt closure than during persistent shunting; nevertheless sIGF-1c ratio was inferior to advanced imaging to assess surgical outcome.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34252551/