Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Urinary vanillylmandelic acid to creatinine ratio in dogs
By Soler Arias, E A et al.·Published in Domestic animal endocrinology·2021·Hospital Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria-U. Endocrinologí·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Urinary vanillylmandelic acid:creatinine ratio in dogs with pheochromocytoma.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with suspected pheochromocytoma, a type of adrenal tumor, were tested for a specific chemical in their urine called vanillylmandelic acid (VMA) to help confirm the diagnosis. The results showed that dogs with pheochromocytoma had significantly higher levels of VMA compared to healthy dogs and those with other conditions. Using a specific cutoff for the VMA level, the test was found to be very accurate, helping veterinarians distinguish between dogs with and without this tumor. This means that measuring the VMA level in urine could be a helpful tool for diagnosing pheochromocytoma in dogs.
People also search for: dog pheochromocytoma symptoms · elevated VMA in dogs · how to diagnose adrenal tumors in dogs
Abstract
Pheochromocytoma diagnosis in dogs is challenging because biochemical tests are not always available. In humans, urinary vanillylmandelic acid (VMA) is part of a pheochromocytoma biochemical diagnostic profile, whereas its diagnostic accuracy is currently unknown in dogs with pheochromocytoma. Prospectively, VMA was determined by HPLC and expressed as the ratio with respect to urinary creatinine (VMA:C). The diagnostic accuracy of the VMA:C ratio was evaluated by analyzing the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve in 10 healthy dogs, 8 dogs with pituitary-dependent hypercortisolism, 8 dogs with adrenal-dependent hypercortisolism, and 7 dogs with pheochromocytoma. The pheochromocytoma diagnosis was confirmed by histology and immunohistochemistry in all tumors. The VMA:C ratio was significantly higher in dogs with pheochromocytoma (158 [53.4 to 230.8] × 10) than in dogs with adrenal-dependent hypercortisolism (48.1 [24.3 to 144.9] × 10; P < 0.05), dogs with pituitary-dependent hypercortisolism (37.5 [32 to 47.1] × 10; P < 0.001), and healthy dogs (33.8 [13.3 to 87.9] × 10; P < 0.001). When using a VMA:C ratio >58.2 × 10for pheochromocytoma diagnosis, a sensitivity of 85.7% and a specificity of 88.4% were obtained. Nevertheless, when using a cut-off ratio of 4 times the median VMA:C ratio determined in healthy dogs, there was no overlap (100% specificity). The area under the ROC curve indicated that the VMA:C ratio test could be used to discriminate between dogs with and without pheochromocytoma, what leads to the conclusion that it is useful for pheochromocytoma diagnosis in dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32980593/