PITUITARY SURGERY IN DOGS: MOLECULAR PATHOGENESIS OF CANINE PITUITARY DEPENDENT HYPERADRENOCORTICISM

摘要

While CD is rare in humans, it is an extremely common endocrinopathy in dogs. CD, more commonly referred to as pituitary dependent hyperadrenocorticism (PDH), has an incidence of 0.2% of all dogs, or approximately 100,000 dogs yearly in the US. Over 90 % of these dogs are subsequently diagnosed with CD while the remaining 10% have adrenal dependent hyperadrenocorticism (ADH). Most canines that are diagnosed with CD present with central obesity, a pendulous and distended abdomen, ravenous appetite, bilaterally symmetrical endocrine alopecia, hair loss, skin changes, and severe polyuria/polydipsia. Untreated dogs are at risk for the development of infections, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. MRI and CT protocols to image pituitary tumors are widely used in veterinary medicine. The use of these imaging modalities along with biochemical assays and provocative tests of ACTH, Cortisol, and other metabolites levels allow accurate determination of the success of therapy.