The diagnostic significance and interpretation of liver enzyme abnormalities in the dog and cat
2013
Polizopoulou, Zoe S. (Aristotle University, Thessaloniki (Greece). Faculty of Veterinary Medicine) | Athanasiou, Labrini V. (Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Thessaly (Greece))
Liver enzyme abnormalities are a common finding in initial clinicopathological investigation of dogs and cats. Despite their sensitivity in indicating the presence of primary hepatobiliary disease, liver enzyme activity may be non-specificially altered in several extrahepatic conditions. Liver enzymes should not be used as liver function tests; instead their measurement indicates cell membrane stability, cholestasis, hepatic and/or biliary epithelial cell injury and often the induction phenomenon, associated with the administration of certain drugs. The interpretation of liver enzyme alterations should be based on the integration of information from the naimal's signalment, history clinical evaluation and other basic laboratory investigation. Further specific liver function tests and/or diganostic imaging assessment may be required. Basic patterns of liver enzyme alterations include cholestatic, hepatocellular of mixed patterns. Cholestatic patterns are characterized by increased activities of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and γ-glutamyl transferase (γ-GT) and may be associated with endocrinopathies, cholestatic diseases, neoplasia or drug administration. Serum alanine and/or aspartate aminotransferase activity elevations indicate hepatic-toxicity, neoplasia or inflammation but may occur with vascular compromise and organ hypoxia. Mixed patterns with variable increase in both categories of liver enzymes occur aommonly and may reflect hepatocellular injury with concurrent cholestasis. Further special diagostic testing (coagulation profile, liver function tests, abdominal imaging, liver biopsy) is required in order to reach an etiological diagnosis.
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