A quantitative study of the neural changes underlying pyloric stenosis in dogs

This study aimed to quantify the neural changes in congenital pyloric stenosis in dogs and to study the comparative anatomy between this condition in dogs and that in infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis. Eight specimens from the pylorus of dogs with pyloric stenosis and six control specimens were examined using conventional histology and immunohistochemistry for a range of neural antigens. The changes in the proportion of nerves immunoreactive for each antigen were quantified and analysed statistically. The morphology of the nerves in the diseased dogs was similar to that in controls. Only vasoactive intestinal peptide was reduced in expression in dogs (median proportion in control dogs 0.57, in diseased dogs 0.17; P = 0.065). This study demonstrates both morphological similarities and significant differences between closely related conditions in dogs, humans and other species.