Javier Rodriguez Godoy¹, Mark Rishniw^2,3, Annelies Willems¹, Patricia Ibarrola¹

¹The Ralph Veterinary Referral Centre, Marlow, United Kingdom. ²Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, United States. ³Veterinary Information Network, Davis, United States

Objectives

To determine the prevalence of increased 1,2-o-dilauryl-rac-glycero-3-glutaric acid-(6′-methylresorufin) ester (DGGR) lipase concentrations in cats with and without pancreatitis, and to assess its diagnostic performance against a diagnosis based on clinical signs, clinicopathological, and ultrasonographic changes.

Methods

Two hundred and thirty-one cats were included. Each cat was given a clinician-assigned score (0 to 4) by a board-certified internal medicine clinician, blinded to the DGGR lipase results. Cats were also assigned an ultrasonographic score (0 to 4). DGGR lipase concentrations were compared against the ultrasound and clinician-assigned scores.

Results

Fifty-nine out of 231 (25.5%) had an increased DGGR lipase. Forty-seven out of 231 cats (20.3%) had a clinician-assigned score of 0, 128 out of 231 cats (55.4%) had a score of 1, 36 out of 231 cats (15.6%) had a score of 2, and 20 out of 231 cats (8.7%) had a score of 3. No cats had a clinician-assigned score of 4. Sensitivity and specificity of DGGR lipase compared against a clinical score of 3 (probably pancreatitis) were 70% and 79%, respectively (PPV 24% and NPV 97%). DGGR lipase concentration was significantly lower in cats with an ultrasound score of 0 compared to scores of 1, 2 and 3. DGGR lipase concentration was lower in cats with clinician-assigned scores of 0 and 1 compared to scores of 2 and 3.

Statement: Impact/ Clinical Significance

DGGR lipase was significantly lower in cats with lower ultrasound and clinician-assigned scores, and it also showed a high negative predictive value. These findings support the use of DGGR lipase as a practical screening test for feline pancreatitis in clinical practice.