Comparison of the sensitivity of different diagnostic tests for pancreatitis in cats

The objective of this study was to compare the sensitivity of different dia gnostic tests for pancreatitis in cats. Twenty-one cats with confirmed panc reatitis were evaluated at the Small Animal Clinic of the School of Veterin ary Medicine in Hannover, Germany, between September 1997 and January 1999. Clinical signs of affected cats were nonspecific, with 95% of the cats sho wing anorexia and 86% lethargy. Also, hematologic and biochemical abnormali ties of affected cats were nonspecific. Serum feline trypsin-like immunorea ctivity (fTLI) in these 21 cats with pancreatitis was 127.5 +/- 109.5 mug/L (mean +/- SD; ranee, 23-500 mug/L). Fourteen of the 21 cats with pancreati tis had complicating conditions. Their serum fTLI was 153.9 +/- 124.3 mug/L (mean +/- SD; range, 29-500 mug/L). In this study, abdominal ultrasound sh owed a sensitivity for pancreatitis of 24%, and abdominal computed tomograp hy had a sensitivity of 20%. Serum fTLI had a sensitivity between 86% when a cut-off value of 49 mug/L was used (upper limit of the control range) and 33% when a cut-off value of 100 mug/L was used. We conclude that in this g roup of cats with pancreatitis, measurement of serum fTLI was the most sens itive diagnostic test of those evaluated. Abdominal ultrasound, however, ma y be a valuable diagnostic tool in some cats with pancreatitis.