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Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery logoLink to Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery
. 2009 Oct 1;11(10):842–846. doi: 10.1016/j.jfms.2009.04.008

Concentration of D-dimers in healthy cats and sick cats with and without disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC)

Inger Tholen 1, Christiane Weingart 2, Barbara Kohn 3
PMCID: PMC11135504  PMID: 19539510

Abstract

The objective of this prospective study was to measure concentrations of D-dimers in 48 cats with various diseases and in 20 healthy cats to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity for D-dimers to diagnose disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). The cats were classified as having DIC if an underlying disease and at least three of the following criteria were present: thrombocytopenia, prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time, prothrombin time or thrombin time, schistocytes and/or a reduced antithrombin activity. D-dimer concentrations were measured using a semi-quantitative latex agglutination (LA) test (Accuclot D-Dimer, Sigma Diagnostics). The D-dimer test was positive for 8/12 cats with DIC and for 16/36 sick cats without DIC. D-dimers were negative for all healthy control cats. The comparison of the sick cats with DIC and those without DIC revealed a specificity and sensitivity of the D-dimer test of 56% and 67%; a comparison of the results for healthy cats and cats with DIC revealed a specificity and sensitivity of 100% and 67%, respectively. The D-dimer LA test is only of limited value for the diagnosis of DIC in cats.

Contributor Information

Inger Tholen, Clinic of Small Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Free University of Berlin, Oertzenweg 19b, 14163 Berlin, Germany.

Christiane Weingart, Clinic of Small Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Free University of Berlin, Oertzenweg 19b, 14163 Berlin, Germany.

Barbara Kohn, Clinic of Small Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Free University of Berlin, Oertzenweg 19b, 14163 Berlin, Germany  kohn@vetmed.fu-berlin.de.

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