**How Experience Can Be Useful in Veterinary Pathological Anatomy**

Paulo Tomé1 and Helena Vala2

*1Algoritmi Research Center/Polytechnic Institute of Viseu 2Center for Studies in Education, and Health Technologies, CI&DETS, Polytechnic Institute of Viseu Portugal* 

#### **1. Introduction**

50 A Bird's-Eye View of Veterinary Medicine

Pepper, R., & Dobson, H. (1987). Preliminary results of treatment and endocrinology of

Platter, W.J., Tatum, J.D., Belk, K.E., Scanga, J.A., & Smith, G.C. (2003). Effects of repetitive

of beef palatability. *Journal of Animal Science*, 81, 984-996, ISSN:0021-8812. Poindron, P. (2005). Mechanisms of activation of maternal behaviour in mammals.

Scaglioni, S., Di Pietro, C., Bigatello, A., & Chiumello, G. (1978). Breast enlargement in an

Sheldon, I.M., & Noakes, D.E. (1998). Comparison of three treatments for bovine

Shepherd, C.J., & Bromage, N.R. (1988). Intensive fish farming. Pub: BSP Professional Books,

Stephany, R.W., van Ginkel, L.A., & Schothorst, R.C. (1994). Perspective. European Union

Takemura, H., Shim, J.Y., Sayama, K., Tsubura, A., Zhu, B.T., & Shimoi, K. (2007).

Wiebe, J.P. (2006). Progesterone metabolites in breast cancer. *Endocrine-Related Cancer*, 13,

Yuri, T., Tsukamoto, R., Miki, K., Uehara, N., Matsuoka, Y., & Tsubura, A. (2006). Biphasic

carcinoma cells. *Oncology Reports*, 16(6), 1307-12, ISSN: 1021335X-.

reference laboratories for residue analysis: a quality challenge. *Analyst*, 119, 2707-

Characterization of the estrogenic activities of zearalenone and zeranol in vivo and in vitro. *The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology*, 103(2), 170-7, ISSN:

effects of zeranol on the growth of estrogen receptor-positive human breast

*Reproduction Nutrition Development*, 45, 341-51, ISSN: 0926-5287.

endometritis. *The Veterinary Record*, 142, 575-579, ISSN: 0042-4900.

Italian school. *Lancet*, 311, 551-552, ISSN: 0140-6736.

pp 103-105, ISBN: 0632019042, Oxford, Boston.

3-5 October 2001, 483-484.

2711, ISSN: 0003-2654.

717-738, ISSN: 1351-0088.

0960-0760.

4900.

Congress of the European Society for Agricultural and Food Ethics, Florence (Italy),

chronic endometritis in the dairy cow. *The Veterinary Record*, 120, 53-56, ISSN: 0042-

use of hormonal implants on beef carcass quality, tenderness, and consumer ratings

Veterinary anatomical pathology is a medical specialty which is very similar to human anatomical pathology. This specialty consists in diagnosing diseases based mainly on gross and microscopic examination of organs and tissues obtained by surgical procedure or necropsy. It consists in applying criteria based on knowledge of gross and histological lesions in order to obtain a final pathological diagnosis. The aim of this specific diagnosis is, generally speaking, to find which disease is affecting the animal, if it is alive, or what caused its death.

The main difficulties in veterinary pathological diagnosis are related to the various animal species a pathologist has to deal with, the use of exhaustive classifications of different types, costs, subjectivity, including disagreement between the clinical and pathological diagnoses, and the urgency in issuing the report. So, the urgent need to compile all available information to obtain a diagnosis in a short time is the constant challenge professional experts face.

Pathology consists in using scientific methods to study structural and functional changes in cells, tissues and organs that underlie disease (Cotran et al., 1999). It is divided into two branches: anatomical pathology, dedicated to examining organs, tissues and cadavers and clinical pathology, dedicated to laboratory analysis of body fluids and/or tissues. The pathologist has the professional expertise devoted to the practice of both, anatomical and clinical pathology (Langone Medical Center, Department of Pathology, 2011).

Past knowledge is an important resource in veterinary pathological anatomy. Professionals often use their previous experience (Dungworth et al., 1999; Goldschmidt et al., 1998; Head et al., 2003; Hendrick et al., 1998; Kennedy et al., 1998; Kiupel et al., 2008; Koestner et al., 1999; Maxie, 2007; Meuten et al., 2004; Misdorp et al., 1999; Scott et al., 2001; Slayter et al., 1994a; Valli et al., 2002; Wilcock et al., 2002)1.

This chapter will be devoted to veterinary anatomical pathology, not in terms of further development of its study methods, extensively detailed in the specialty bibliography, but from a different approach, with the aim of better understanding routine work in the pathology lab.

<sup>1</sup> The twelve books: (Dungworth et al., 1999; Goldschmidt et al., 1998; Head et al., 2003; Hendrick et al., 1998; Kennedy et al., 1998; Kiupel et al., 2008; Koestner et al., 1999; Meuten et al., 2004; Misdorp et al., 1999; Slayter et al., 1994a; Valli et al., 2002; Wilcock et al., 2002) were published by World Health Organization (WHO).

position of organs, gross appearance of organs, sampling injured organs, focus on the transition between normal and injured aspect, in each organ, in order to determine disease factors which caused animal's death and to contribute to

How Experience Can Be Useful in Veterinary Pathological Anatomy 53

This subspecialty has a greater importance in veterinary medicine, since it allows other cohabitants of a group (herd or flock) to be saved or an infected animal to be eliminated, acting preventatively to avoid transmission to other animals or humans, contributing favourably to public health. Also, euthanasia is acceptable and legally provided in veterinary medicine,

In all subspecialties, additional tests from other medical specialities could be required to determine the cause of death or to obtain a definite diagnosis. The most commonly required

Pathological diagnosis is the medical specialty that deals with the examination of gross and microscopic lesions (Miller et al., 2009). It also consists in the further microscopic study of tissues and cells, in order to provide a complementary means for diagnosis. The solid background of expertise is constructed based on medical literature, educational programs, training activities, meetings, technical rules and the cognitive skills of the pathologist which allows him to describe lesions, interpret histological slides and make decisions. In this long and complex process, the pathologist takes into account the animal data, clinical history (including physical exam), results of other complementary exams (including biochemical analysis and x-rays), using a strategy to arrive at a diagnosis which is not qualitatively

(b) Post-mortem exam of dead animal

cadaver

The most commonly used procedures in the pathological diagnosis processes include gross examination, histopathology or microscopic examination, evaluating histological aspects, including cellular characteristics and organizational patterns, immunohistochemistry and cytopathology, among other more specific tests. Gross examination consists in describing the specimen with the naked eye. It is based on observation, description and measurement of gross lesions, found in a surgical specimen, submitted to the pathology lab (figure 1 a)), or found in animal cadavers, if such is the case, during the meticulous post-mortem exam (figure 1 b)), especially if the animal is injured. It is also during this step, that the pathologist decides which areas and specimens need to be processed for histopathology and microscopic

evaluation (University of Utah of Spencer S. Eccles, 2011; Zarbo & Nakhleh, 2009).

which reinforces the appeal and importance of this branch of anatomical pathology.

tests are linked to toxicology, virology, bacteriology and genetics.

different from those used by clinicians (Pena & Andrade-Filho, 2009).

(a) Description and measurement of a

surgical specimen

Fig. 1. Gross examination

pre-diagnosis of disease.

Emphasis will be given to the difficulties faced by the veterinary pathologist every day, in order to justify the development of new solutions to support the issuance of more accurate diagnoses.

The authors describe a framework and a software system that can be useful for diagnosing diseases. The developed framework is based on analysis of the bibliography in this field. Both proposals can be useful to yield better diagnoses. Pathological diagnosis is a supplementary diagnostic test usually ordered by the veterinarian clinician, in order to direct treatment to administer to the sick animal, or living members of a group of animals (e.g. cattle), in which a death occurred. Thus, although the methods used are similar to those used in human medicine, the ends are quite different.

As far as is known, no artificial intelligence system has ever been applied or implemented to areas of diagnosis in veterinary medicine. The system proposed in this chapter is applied to generating solutions for real clinical cases, submitted to complementary pathological diagnosis exams.

In the following sections it will be described pathological diagnosis, as well as the main re-using knowledge mechanisms created in the field of Artificial Intelligence, framework system and the software application. Finally, in section 5 are reported final conclusions and beliefs about the framework and software application.
