Treatment strategies of biliary stones through multiple liver lobectomy and cholecystectomy in a dog

Abstract

A 12-year-old spayed female Maltese dog weighing 3 kg was referred to our Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital for the evaluation of gallstones. The dog had a history of splenectomy and underlying Cushing’s syndrome and had received ursodeoxycholic acid for 2 months. The dog presented with clinical symptoms, including icterus, vomiting, anorexia, lethargy, and abdominal pain. Radiography, ultrasonography, and computed tomography revealed choleliths in the gallbladder, cystic duct, common bile duct, and the hepatic ducts of the quadrate, left medial, and left lateral lobes. In addition, we identified atrophy and cirrhosis of the corresponding lobes of the liver. The choleliths were surgically managed via multiple liver lobectomy and cholecystectomy, including cystic duct and proximal common bile duct resection. The patency of the common bile duct was confirmed by normograde saline flushing using a Tom-cat catheter driven through the cut edge of the common bile duct, followed by ligation. The surgery was completed successfully, and no specific postoperative complications such as bile leakage, massive hemorrhage, shock, sepsis, or systemic peritonitis were observed during the 12-month monitoring period.