VALUTAZIONE DI INDICI NON INVASI DI FIBROSI EPATICA NEL CANE

The presence of liver fibrosis should be considered in order to define a correct therapeutical approach in liver diseases of the dog. Histologic evaluation of the liver is considered the gold standard for fibrosis assessment, but tru-cut liver biopsy, even if performed under ultrasound guidance, has some technical limitation and risks. In humans indirect biochemical markers, which reflect alteration in hepatic function, and direct biochemical markers, which reflect extracellular matrix turnover, have been identified. Objectives: to study the relationship between some non-invasive biochemical markers (AST/ALT ratio, APRI index and Hyaluronic acid HA) and hepatic fibrosis in the dog and to determine their value in the clinical practice. Methods: 32 blood samples (20 from dogs with chronic hepatitis diagnosed by liver biopsy and 12 from healty dogs) were collected for the study concerning AST/ALT ratio and APRI index. 18 blood samples (6 from pathologic dogs diagnosed by liver biopsy and 12 from healthy dogs) were tested for HA with ELISA immuno-assay. An histologic staging of liver flogosis and liver fibrosis was set up for this study and the results were compared with non-invasive indexes of liver fibrosis considered. Results: an AST/ALT ratio of 0.37 has 80% of sensibility and 91.67% of specificity for liver fibrosis in the dog (P< 0,01). No statistic correlation was detected between liver fibrosis and APRI index or HA. Conclusion: AST/ALT ratio in the dog seems to be correlated with liver fibrosis in the dog. Further studies should be considered to investigate the relation between AST/ALT ratio and the stage of fibrosis in the dog.