Diagnosis of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

May 19, 2010

Zwingenberger AL, Marks SL, Baker TW et al: Ultrasonographic evaluation of the muscularis propria in cats with diffuse small intestinal lymphoma or inflammatory bowel disease, J Vet Intern Med, 2010.

The objective of this study was to investigate the association of imaging biomarkers with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and lymphoma in cats. Thickening of the muscularis propria layer of the small intestine and lymphadenopathy have been ultrasound pattern findings associated with these conditions in cats. The study included 142 cats with a histological diagnosis of normal small intestine (SI), lymphoma, or IBD determined by full-thickness biopsy. All the cases had an ultrasonographic examination within 28 days before biopsy. Of all the samples, 56 were classified as normal SI, 62 as lymphoma, and 24 as IBD. Previously, 10 samples classified as IBD were reclassified as lymphoma after immunohistochemistry and clonality assays. Cats with lymphoma were found to be significantly older than those with IBD or normal SI. Cats with thickening of the muscularis propria detected by ultrasound were more likely to have lymphoma than normal SI cats and those with IBD. Cats with ultrasound evidence of lymphadenopathy were more likely to have a diagnosis of lymphoma or IBD than normal SI. 56 of the 62 cats were diagnosed with lymphoma of the diffuse T-cell type. The results indicate that lymphoma or IBD could be misclassified if immunohistochemical and clonality assays were not performed on biopsy samples. Also, older cats with muscularis layer thickening are more likely to have T-cell lymphoma than IBD. Lymphadenopathy is associated with lymphoma or IBD. [VT]

Related articles:
Kleinschmidt S, Harder J, Nolte I et al: Chronic inflammatory and non-inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract in cats: diagnostic advantages of full-thickness intestinal and extraintestinal biopsies, J Feline Med Surg 12:97, 2010.

Evans SE, Bonczynski JJ, Broussard JD et al: Comparison of endoscopic and full-thickness biopsy specimens for diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease and alimentary tract lymphoma in cats, J Am Vet Med Assoc 229:1447, 2006.