Aspectos clínicos, laboratoriais e tomográficos do fígado de gatos hígidos e submetidos à corticoterapia com prednisolona

Abstract

Despite the beneficial effects of prednisolone little literature addresses the side effects of steroid therapy in cats. Computed tomography (CT) is a radiological method that has applicability in the diagnosis of changes in attenuation of hepatic parenchyma in Hounsfield units (HU). In humans it is considered important to the attenuation values in HU for the diagnosis and monitoring of patients with diseases that alter the density of the hepatic parenchyma, such as steatosis and glycogen storage. However, the lack and the divergence of previous studies limit their clinical application in cats. The objective of this study was to establish normal values of liver x-ray attenuation in healthy cats and verify possible changes in the liver by CT cats submitted to prednisolone. Therefore a study was initially performed to obtain average values of attenuation of the liver and spleen of adult-20 young healthy cats, and also establish a relationship between these organs of the radiodensity (L / S), as described in humans. The average attenuation value of the hepatic parenchyma in the experimental group was 52.81 ± 3.37 Hu, being discretely hyperattenuating liver compared to spleen. The ratio F / B was 1.03 ± 0.04 HU. Then a clinical trial was performed in four healthy cats which received prednisolone per orally at a dose of 3mg / kg for 60 consecutive days. In addition to CT, laboratory tests and histopathology were performed before starting prednisolone and end of the experiment. Laboratory tests found a statistically significant difference (p <0.05) between days 0 and 60 for alanine aminotransferase variables (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and glucose. Histopathological findings of the final phase of the experiment was observed vacuolar degeneration, disarrangement of cords of hepatocytes, and hepatocytes necrosis signals. The CT data show increasing degree of attenuation of hepatic parenchyma from the thirtieth day of the corticosteroid prednisolone, a fact which persisted until the end of the experiment. This emphasizes the importance of monitoring cats that make use of prednisolone, even for a short period of time because it was possible to verify the existence of liver disease steroid in cats treated with corticosteroids in therapeutic dose lasting 60 days, observing increased liver x-ray attenuation, increased serum activity of ALT and AST, hyperglycemia, and histopathological changes as vacuolar degeneration and necrosis of hepatocytes.