Abstract:
Pyometra is a common disease in bitches characterized by an inflamed uterus filled with pus. Abdominal ultrasonographic evaluation is one of the most requested exam used to diagnose the disease, whereas ovariohysterectomy is the most commonly chosen treatment. C-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute phase protein whose serum concentration increases in inflammatory processes. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the rapid test for detecting serum CRP (FASTest® canine CRP) in the diagnosis of pyometra in bitches with suspicion of the disease by ultrasonography. From 25 bitches with ultrasonographic image suggestive of pyometra included in this study, only 12 (48.0%) has the diagnosis confirmed by histopathological examination of the uterus after ovariohysterectomy. In all patients diagnosed with pyometra, confirmed by histology, the CRP was positive. The FASTest® CRP showed a positive predictive value of 92.3 %, negative predictive value and sensitivity of 100.0% and 92.3% of specificity. Therefore, the accuracy of FASTest® CRP for diagnosis of pyometra in bitches with suspicion by ultrasonography was 96.0%. It was concluded that the rapid test for detecting serum CRP can be used as an aid to diagnose pyometra in bitches.
Index Terms:
C-reactive Protein detection; dogs; infectious diseases; acute phase proteins; ultrasound; uterus
