Endoscopic, Biopsy, and Histopathologic Guidelines for the Evaluation of Gastrointestinal Inflammation in Companion Animals

Generation of the Guidelines D iagnosis and treatment of companion animal gas- trointestinal tract disorders have long been complicated by the absence of clinical, diagnostic, histopathologic, and therapeutic standards.Accordingly, the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) International Gastrointestinal (GI) Standardization Group was convened in 2004 for the purpose of developing standards for history taking, physical examination, laboratory diagnostic tests, imaging procedures and reports, endoscopic procedures and reports, biopsy procedures and reports, histopathologic interpretation, immunohistochemistry (IHC), treatment trials, and patient response and outcome in dogs and cats with gastrointestinal disease.The Standardization Group first met at the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) Forum in Minneapolis in 2004, and several abstracts of its work were presented at national and international meetings (WSAVA Congress, European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine [ECVIM] Congress, and ACVIM Forum).A final summary of Phase I studies was presented at the WSAVA Congress in Dublin in 2008.During Phase I (2004-2008), the GI Standardization Group published proposed standards for endoscopy, 1 biopsy, 2 and histopathological evaluation of inflammation 3 in endoscopic biopsies of the gastrointestinal tract of dogs and cats.In 2008, the GI Standardization Group was invited to develop an ACVIM Consensus Statement on ''Endoscopic, Biopsy, and Histopathologic Guidelines for the Evaluation of Gastrointestinal Inflammation in Companion Animals'' for presentation at the 26th Annual ACVIM Forum in San Antonio, TX.After presentation at the ACVIM Forum, a written draft of the Consensus Statement was prepared by the Group and posted to the Consensus Statements of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) provide the veterinary community with up-to-date information on the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of clinically important animal diseases.The ACVIM Board of Regents oversees selection of relevant topics, identification of panel members with the expertise to draft the statements, and other aspects of assuring the integrity of the process.The statements are derived from evidence-based medicine whenever possible and the panel offers interpretive comments when such evidence is inadequate or contradictory.A draft is prepared by the panel, followed by solicitation of input by the ACVIM membership, which may be incorporated into the statement.