2022 Volume 31 Issue 1 Pages 15-20
Dogs with advanced chronic hepatitis respond poorly to the existing treatments. Treatment with adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells is a novel therapeutic option. In this study, we evaluated the distribution of the adipose tissue in dogs with chronic hepatitis based on computed tomography images and attempted to collect adipose tissue using laparoscopy. This study included 25 dogs with chronic hepatitis divided into the chronic hepatitis/advanced group (n = 11) and non-advanced group (n = 14). In the chronic hepatitis/advanced group, the subcutaneous fat area was significantly smaller than the visceral fat area. Additionally, the ratio of the visceral fat area and subcutaneous fat area was significantly higher in the chronic hepatitis/advanced group than in the non-advanced group. Furthermore, laparoscopic fat collection attempted in one dog with chronic hepatitis could be performed easily. These results suggest that visceral fat can be collected more easily than subcutaneous fat in dogs with advanced chronic hepatitis. Additionally, visceral adipose tissue can be collected under scheduled laparoscopic liver biopsy in dogs with suspected chronic hepatitis.
