Correlation of minimally invasive imaging techniques to assess intestinal mucosal perfusion with established markers of chronic inflammatory enteropathy in dogs

Abstract

Background: Minimally invasive diagnostic imaging techniques to detect intestinal inflammation in dogs are lacking. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and endoscopic narrow band imaging-like endoscopy (Storz Professional Image Enhancement System [SPIES]) might allow quantification of intestinal mucosal perfusion and microvessel density in chronic inflammatory enteropathy (CIE) of dogs. Hypothesis/Objectives: Markers of mucosal perfusion as determined by CEUS and SPIES endoscopy are potentially useful diagnostic markers to help characterize CIE and correlate with histological inflammation type and severity. Animals: Thirty client-owned dogs diagnosed with CIE at a referral hospital were prospectively enrolled. Materials and Methods: Data from CEUS, SPIES, and white light (WL) endoscopy were correlated with World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) endoscopy and histology scores and vessel density as determined by immunohistochemistry for von Willebrand factor (vWF). Automated linear modeling was used to determine predictors of endoscopic and histologic severity. Results: Duodenal histology correlated with SPIES data (area percentage value, rho = 0.424, P = .04). White light endoscopy parameters correlated with SPIES parameters in the duodenum. Colonic histology correlated positively with CEUS, whereas colonic CEUS parameters correlated inversely with vWF expression. Several duodenal parameters combined predicted duodenal histology scores to a level of 73.4%. For the colon, 2 parameters contributed more than others to 73.1%. Conclusion and Clinical Importance: Minimally invasive CEUS and SPIES appear feasible to assess intestinal perfusion in CIE. Use of SPIES endoscopy may be promising for assessing small intestinal inflammation, whereas CEUS could be used to assess

Evaluation of animal models of Crohn's disease with anal fistula (Review)

“…The pigs were eventually euthanized to obtain tissue samples and pathological specimens. Compared with the sacrificing of animals, the application of endoscopy in research studies is considered a minimally invasive and more humane method, along with assessing the intestinal condition of the animals and obtaining tissue specimens (35)(36)(37).…”

“…Due to the complex animal ethics and experimental methodology, only a small number of studies have been performed using canine models. It has been suggested that endoscopy should be used in experiments with large animals, as it is simple and may reduce the level of trauma to animals (35,37). Furthermore, endoscopy may be used repeatedly to obtain a more accurate assessment of the disease status.…”

Can Chromoendoscopy Improve the Early Diagnosis of Gastric Carcinoma in Dogs?

“…CE allows an enhancement of mucosal surface patterns, color, and vascularization, inducing a paradigm shift from random to targeted biopsies in patients with subtle gastric mucosal changes [ 7 ]. Examples of such novel imaging technologies are narrow band imaging (NBI), Storz professional image enhancement system (SPIES), and flexible spectral imaging color enhancement, all using specifically developed endoscopy equipment [ 8 , 9 , 10 ]. Studies in humans revealed that, for example, NBI allows the identification of gastric mucosal patterns with high predictive value for the final histologic diagnosis of normal mucosa (83%), intestinal metaplasia (84%), and dysplasia (95%) [ 11 ].…”

“…It remains rather challenging to predict the possible mucosal pathology and to detect preneoplastic processes and malignancies early and accurately, especially when they are still subtle and confined to the gastric mucosa [ 1 ]. Despite the increased availability of CE equipment in veterinary medicine, there have been only very few studies exploring the possibilities of CE for canine and feline patients [ 9 , 14 ]. It remains so far uncertain whether CE techniques can improve the diagnostic yield of endoscopy in dogs.…”