Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 May;31(3):730-733.
doi: 10.1111/jvim.14708. Epub 2017 Apr 13.

Effect of Intravenous or Perivascular Injection of Synthetic Adrenocorticotropic Hormone on Stimulation Test Results in Dogs

C M Johnson  1 , P H Kass  2 , T A Cohen  1 , E C Feldman  3
Affiliations

Effect of Intravenous or Perivascular Injection of Synthetic Adrenocorticotropic Hormone on Stimulation Test Results in Dogs

C M Johnson et al. J Vet Intern Med. 2017 May.

Abstract

Background: Standard protocols for adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation testing (ACTHst) often involve intravenous (IV) injection of corticotropin. ACTH might be unintentionally injected into the perivascular (PV) space.

Objective: To compare stimulation test results after IV and PV injections of ACTH.

Animals: Twenty privately owned dogs were studied: 10 healthy and 10 with trilostane-treated naturally occurring hyperadrenocorticism (HAC).

Methods: Prospective study. Each of 20 dogs underwent 2 ACTHst not <4 nor more than 14 days apart. Five healthy and 5 HAC dogs had an IV ACTHst first and PV second; 5 healthy and 5 HAC dogs had a PV ACTHst first and IV second. Blood samples for measurement of serum cortisol concentration were collected before and 1 hour after ACTH administration.

Results: No significant difference in results was demonstrated when comparing serum cortisol concentrations after IV and PV ACTH administration in all 20 dogs (median μg/dL; interval μg/dL: 8.2; 1.4-17.4 versus 7.8; 0.9-16.9; P = .23). No significant difference in results was demonstrated when comparing serum cortisol concentrations after IV and PV ACTH administration in the 10 healthy dogs (median μg/dL; interval μg/dL: 10.9; 7.3-17.4 versus 10.6; 7.1-16.9; P = .54) or in the 10 HAC dogs (median μg/dL; interval μg/dL: 6.3; 1.4-8.6 versus 5.2; 0.9-8.7; P = .061).

Conclusions and clinical importance: Perivascular administration of ACTH does not significantly alter stimulation test results in healthy dogs or in dogs with HAC undergoing therapy with trilostane.

Keywords: Adrenal; Endocrinology; Hyperadrenocorticism; Pituitary; Trilostane.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Behrend EN, Kooistra HS, Nelson R, et al. Diagnosis of spontaneous canine hyperadrenocorticism: 2012 ACVIM consensus statement (small animal). J Vet Intern Med 2013;27:1292–1304. - PubMed
    1. Aldridge C, Behrend EN, Kemppainen RJ, et al. Comparison of 2 doses for ACTH stimulation testing in dogs suspected of or treated for hyperadrenocorticism. J Vet Intern Med 2016;30:1637–1641. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Noh S, Hye‐Sun K, Chang J, et al. Serum cholecystokinin concentrations in dogs with naturally acquired pituitary‐dependent hyperadrenocorticism. Am J Vet Res 2016;77:1101–1107. - PubMed
    1. Griebsch C, Lehnert C, Williams GJ, et al. Effect of trilostane on hormone and serum electrolyte concentrations in dogs with pituitary‐dependent hyperadrenocorticism. J Vet Intern Med 2014;28:160–165. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lathan P, Scott‐Moncrieff JC, Wills RW. Use of the cortisol‐to‐ACTH ratio for diagnosis of primary hypoadrenocorticism in dogs. J Vet Intern Med 2014;28:1546–1550. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types