Veterinary Clinical Patholoy | Università degli Studi di Milano Statale

A.Y. 2024/2025

Max ECTS

128

Overall hours

SSD

VET/03

Language

Italian

Included in the following degree programmes

Veterinary Medicine (Classe LM-42)-Enrolled Since 2020/21 Academic Year

Learning objectives

Veterinary clinical pathology, as defined by the corresponding European and American Colleges, deals with the laboratory management, clinical chemistry (including endocrinology and immunodiagnostics), hematology and cytology. This course will provide to the students knowledge and skills related to the main inflammatory, infectious, dysmetabolic and neoplastic changes detectable through the analysis of lesions and biological fluids. To this aim, a "case-based" approach will be followed. This approach will include methodological aspects (method validation and quality control) and clinical aspects based on the identification on the main clinico-pathological changes that may provide information on both a pathogenic and an interpretative/diagnostic standpoint

Expected learning outcomes

Students should achieve the basic knowledges and skills to interpret results of clinical chemistry (including endocrinology and immunodiagnostic), hematology and cytology, taking also into account possible methodological aspects and preanalytical artifacts.
Capacità di applicare conoscenza e comprensione
Students must be able to plan, execute and report the most common hematological, biochemical and cytological tests, based also in advantages and limitations associated with the different types of samples and methods..
Autonomia di giudizio
Students must be able to autonomously use the information reported on textbooks to interpret the hematochemical and cytological cases presented within this course.
Abilità comunicative
Students must communicate and report the results of laboratory tests using the appropriate terminology.
Capacità di apprendere
Students must demonstrate to have an adequate approach to study and learn the information provided within the course.

Lesson period: Second semester

Lessons timetable

Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi

Exams calendar

Single course

This course can be attended as a single course.

Take a single course

Course syllabus and organization

Single session

Responsible

Paltrinieri Saverio

Lesson period

Second semester

Emergency remote teaching

If needed, lectures will be held online through the discussion of cases and the visualization of cytological or hematological images

Syllabus

Prerequisites for admission

Prior knowledge of:
- Basi subjects (specially biology);
- Veterinary anatomy;
- Veterinary physiology
- Clinical chemistry
- Veterinary general pathology;
- Veterinary microbiology and immunology;
- Parassitology.

Assessment methods and Criteria

Each module of the course will end with a practical "case-based" test. Alternatively, the score for each module will be based on the evaluation of single cases presented during the course (e.g. recognition of images/slides or numerical changes). The final score corresponds to the average of the scores of each module

Hematology and oncohematology

Course syllabus

The module aims to provide the student with the essential notions to perform, interpret and report haematological and oncohaematological examinations, evaluating the outcome in the light of the clinical history of the individual case.
Hematology: 16 hours
Oncohematology: 10 hours
Bone marrow examination: 6 hours

Teaching methods

Students will be provided with the basics of the subject, through seminars. These notions will then be applied for the evaluation of samples of the diagnostic routine of the veterinary hospital, through the practical execution of the examinations themselves or the re-analysis of archival samples, and their critical interpretation.

Teaching Resources

Students will beprovided with copies of the presentations used in the seminars, and laboratory data of the clinical cases discussed. In addition, students will have access to the clinical data of individual subjects, through the hospital's management software (PROVET).

Cytology

Course syllabus

The aim of the course is to enable students to independently diagnose cytological cases of the most common finding in clinical practice

Teaching methods

The teaching method is exclusively based on the microscopic evaluation of cytological samples. This assessment is done both individually and in groups (16 hours)

Teaching Resources

The reference material consists exclusively of stained slides. For the diagnosis, students will also have to work by searching, always independently, on bibliographic sources available mainly on the website of the UNIMI Library System

Analysis of effusions and other biological fluids

Course syllabus

The aim of the module is to provide the fundamental notions for the analysis of the main biological fluids. In particular, the module provides for the in-depth study of the physiological and pathogenetic aspects of the different types of cavitary effusions and pathological CSF and synovial fluid, as well as the study of the steps of the analysis of these fluids, including chemical-physical examination, cell count and cytological examination.
Cavitary effusions: 8 hours; CSF: 5 hours; Synovial fluid: 3 hours

Teaching methods

Students will participate in seminar meetings with presentations and discussion of clinical cases. Practical examples will be provided through the evaluation of routine samples received at the clinical pathology laboratory of the veterinary hospital

Teaching Resources

Students will receive a copy of the presentations used, as well as data from clinical cases discussed together. In addition, students will always be able to access the clinical data of the samples received in the laboratory and used for practical tests, through the hospital's management software (PROVET).

Clinical Biochemistry

Course syllabus

Introduction to clinical biochemistry, significance of the main markers for organs/systems in dogs and cats (2 hours)
Quality Assurance and Reporting in Clinical Biochemistry (2 hours)
Collegial discussion of didactic and real clinical cases: interpretation of laboratory reports with alterations to the different organs/systems in relation to the clinical state of the animal (12 hours)

Teaching methods

After a brief introduction to the topics covered through seminar lectures, the modelwill take place through a collegial discussion of didactic and real clinical cases. Students will have to actively participate in the discussion of cases and in the interpretation of laboratory data in relation to the clinical presentation of the animal

Teaching Resources

The didactic material is represented by the slides projected by the teacher for the introductory parts and by the data of the clinical cases discussed. This material will be made available to students by the teacher

Blood and urinary markers of diseases and urinary tract diseases and acid-base disorders

Course syllabus

The aim of the module is to provide the fundamental notions to understand and interpret the clinical-pathological alterations found during pathologies of the urinary system. In particular, the module will focus on the interpretation of serum biochemical alterations and on the evaluation of ongoing urinalysis of the main renal and post-renal diseases. The basics of the main disorders of the acid-base balance and the interpretation of blood gas analysis will also be provided.
Urinary system pathologies: 10 hours; Blood gas analysis: 6 hours.

Teaching methods

Teaching Resources

Inflammatory markers and hemostasis

Course syllabus

Introduction to the pathophysiology of inflammatory alterations and significance of the main markers and analytical methods for the recognition of inflammation in dogs and cats (2 hours)
Introduction to the pathophysiology of hemostasis disorders and significance of markers for their recognition in dogs and cats (2 hours)
Collegial discussion of didactic and real clinical cases: interpretation of laboratory reports with alterations in inflammatory or haemostatic pictures, in relation to the clinical status of the animal (12 hours)

Teaching methods

After a brief introduction to the topics covered through seminar lessons, the module will take place through collegial discussion of didactic and real clinical cases. Students will have to actively participate in the discussion of cases and in the interpretation of laboratory data in relation to the clinical presentation of the animal

Teaching Resources

Clinical-pathological approach to infectious diseases of dogs and cats

Course syllabus

Evaluation of clinical-pathological alterations related to dogs and cats affected by infectious diseases of different nature, and in particular by non-specific bacterial and viral diseases, leishmaniasis, babesiosis, other vector-borne diseases, leptospirosis, feline viral leukemia, feline viral immunodeficiency, feline infectious peritonitis, mycoplasmosi. After a brief seminar introduction on analytical principles, advantages and disadvantages of the various methods (2 hours), the remaining 14 hours will be dedicated to the collegial and interactive discussion of archival cases, or derived from the routine of the clinical pathology laboratory of the veterinary hospital.

Teaching methods

Hematology, biochemistry and cytological data will be discussed, with an integrated approach, as well as the results of direct etiological tests (PCR, Cyto/histology) or indirect (serology)

Teaching Resources

Students will be provided with laboratory data related to the cases that will be discussed, as well as presentations on the interpretative principles of the main alterations detectable in clinical practice

Course structure

Analysis of effusions and other biological fluids

VET/03 - VETERINARY PATHOLOGY - University credits: 1

Practicals: 16 hours

Professor: Stranieri Angelica

Shifts:

Turno

Professor: Stranieri Angelica

Blood and urinary markers of diseases and urinary tract diseases and acid-base disorders

VET/03 - VETERINARY PATHOLOGY - University credits: 1

Practicals: 16 hours

Professor: Stranieri Angelica