INVESTIGATIONS INTO HYPERLIPIDEMIA AND ITS POSSIBLE ...

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assay was reported at 78%. 180
Experimentally induced chronic renal failure and
prednisone administration were not found to have a clinically significant effect on serum
cPLI concentration. 181,182
The specificity of cPLI needs further investigation in dogs
with various gastrointestinal diseases but no pancreatitis. It also remains to be
determined whether serum cPLI concentration can be increased in patients with
histopathologically mild pancreatitis that might be of minor clinical importance and does
not contribute to the development of clinical signs. Overall, compared to other serum
tests currently available, serum cPLI is considered to have the highest specificity for
pancreatitis. 179-185
Studies also show that serum cPLI concentration is sensitive for the diagnosis of
pancreatitis in dogs. 177,180,186,187 The reported sensitivity of cPLI for the diagnosis of
canine pancreatitis ranges between 64% and 93%, possibly depending on the severity of
the disease in the patients studied. Overall, the sensitivity of serum cPLI is higher than
any other serum test currently available. 177,180,186,187 However, false negative results are
likely to occur especially in mild cases.
Overall, serum cPLI concentration appears to be a sensitive and specific marker
of canine pancreatitis, and is currently considered to be the serum test of choice for the
diagnosis of pancreatitis in this species.
Based on clinical observations and the results of studies available to date, 177
serum cPLI concentration does not appear to correlate with the severity of pancreatitis.
Therefore, an individual measurement of serum cPLI concentration cannot be used to
predict the severity of pancreatitis. No controlled studies have looked at the significance