Research Note: Recovery After Congenital Portosystemic Shunt Attenuation Surgery

Predicting outcomes after congenital portosystemic shunt attenuation surgery in dogs can be difficult. Successful recovery depends on the ability of the liver and portal vasculature to regenerate and function normally. This study evaluated preoperative plasma albumin levels and intraoperative hepatic gene product mRNA expression in 73 dogs undergoing congenital portosystemic shunt surgery. Mean plasma albumin in recovered dogs was significantly higher than in dogs that died or were euthanized. Forty-three genes were differentially expressed in recovered vs nonrecovered dogs. Of these, DHDH, ERLEC1, and LYSMD2 gene expression levels were most predictive of outcome. Validation of this model and development of less-invasive means for measuring predictive gene expression (eg, peripheral blood samples vs hepatic biopsy) would be needed to increase clinical applicability.