Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with bile fluid in chest from gall bladder tear after chest drain
By Wustefeld-Janssens, Brandan G et al.Ā·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgeryĀ·2011Ā·Small Animal Teaching Hospital, United KingdomĀ·View original on PubMed ā
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Original publication title: Biliothorax in a Siamese cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old male Siamese cat was brought in for further evaluation after being treated for fluid in the chest (pyothorax). After five days, the fluid changed color and showed high levels of bilirubin, indicating a problem with the gall bladder. Surgery revealed a small tear in the diaphragm and gall bladder that created an abnormal connection between the two. The vet repaired the tears, and the cat made a full recovery. This case highlights a rare complication that can occur after placing a chest drain.
People also search for: Siamese cat chest fluid treatment Ā· cat gall bladder issues Ā· cat surgery recovery time
Abstract
A 2-year-old male neutered cat presented for further investigation of biliothorax. The cat was initially treated for pyothorax, including bilateral chest drains for lavage of the pleural space. Five days later, the pleural effusion turned clear-yellow and had a bilirubin concentration of 427 μmol/l compared to the serum bilirubin concentration of 15 μmol/l. Exploratory surgery revealed a 2mm tear in the diaphragm, with a corresponding 2mm defect in the diaphragmatic surface of the gall bladder, creating a fistula between the gall bladder and the pleural cavity. The defects were repaired routinely and the cat made a full recovery. It was suspected that the tears had been created at the time of the thoracostomy tube placement. Biliothorax has not been described before in a cat, and appears to be a rare complication following thoracostomy tube placement.
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Search related cases āOriginal publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21885312/