Point-Of-Care in-house thyroid testing - IDEXX Laboratories

4
Commentary
Canine hypothyroidism and feline hyperthyroidism are two of the most common endocrine disorders
seen in small animal practice. Because thyroid disorders typically respond well to therapy
and have a good prognosis, it is important for the practitioner to be aware of both common and
uncommon clinical signs and to routinely screen patients with suspected or potential disease.
Serum total thyroxine (T 4 ) concentrations commonly used for screening and therapeutic monitoring
are routinely offered by diagnostic laboratories using a radioimmunoassay or chemiluminescence test. The
availability of an in-house T 4 testing system can offer a convenient, cost-effective alternative. This study showed generally
good correlation between the various methodologies and it appears that any of them, including the IDEXX
SNAP ® T 4 in-house test, is appropriate, dependable, and indicated. It must be remembered that with any test, false
negative and false positive results can occur for any number of reasons, and that results must be interpreted in
light of the patient’s history, clinical signs, and other laboratory findings. — Peter P. Kintzer, DVM, DACVIM, Staff
Internist, Boston Road Animal Hospital, Springfield, Massachusetts
SUGGESTED READING
Canine hypothyroidism. Dixon RM. BSAVA
Manual of Canine and Feline Endocrinology,
3rd ed. Mooney CT, Peterson ME. Gloucester,
UK: BSAVA Publications, 2004, pp 76-94.
Feline hyperthyroidism. Mooney CT, Peterson
ME. BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline
Endocrinology, 3rd ed. Mooney CT, Peterson
ME. Gloucester, UK: BSAVA Publications, 2004,
pp 95-111.
Hypothyroidism. Feldman EC, Nelson RW.
Canine and Feline Endocrinology and
Reproduction (3rd ed). Feldman EC, Nelson
RW. Philadelphia: WB Saunders Co, 2004, pp
86-151.
Measurement of serum concentrations of free
thyroxine, total thyroxine, and total
triiodothyronine in cats with hyperthyroidism
and cats with nonthyroidal disease. Peterson
ME, Melian C, Nichols R. JAVMA 218:529-536,
2001.
© 2007 Educational Concepts
IDEXX Product Profile
IDEXX SNAP ® Reader
■ Only in-house instrument that tests T 4, cortisol, &
bile acids
■ Easy to use
■ Attaches to top of IDEXX VetTest ® Chemistry
Analyzer, so no additional bench space needed
■ Cost effective
IDEXX SNAP ® T 4 test
■ Diagnoses thyroid
disease
■ Assesses geriatric
preanesthetic cats
■ Provides
comprehensive, onevisit
screening for cats, dogs, and horses
■ Monitors response to treatment for immediate
dosage adjustment
This research summary is sponsored by an educational grant from IDEXX Corporation.
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