2017 ACVIM Forum Research Abstract Program

Ultrasound-guided liver biopsy is a relatively safe procedure. The risk of complications is higher in cats and is associated with a lower pre-biopsy hematocrit. The reason for the paradoxical findings that higher platelet number and hematocrit in the cat and dog respectively are associated with greater decrease in hematocrit will require further investigation. Typical indicators of hypocoagulability (prolonged PT, aPTT and low platelet count) did not predict the occurrence of complications or the magnitude of change in hematocrit post-biopsy. This likely reflects the complex state of coagulation that exists in liver disease. Hepatic fibrosis is the result of chronic hepatic injury and can lead to loss of functional hepatic mass and portal hypertension and thus is an important event in the progression of chronic hepatitis. The pathogenesis of hepatic fibrosis in dogs has not yet been fully characterized. The aim of this study was to identify differentially expressed genes in dogs with chronic hepatitis to further elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in the development and regulation of hepatic fibrosis.