Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cytology of bile samples in dogs and cats - what to know
By Peters, L M et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2016·The Royal Veterinary College, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Cytological Findings of 140 Bile Samples from Dogs and Cats and Associated Clinical Pathological Data.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs and cats underwent a procedure called cholecystocentesis to collect bile for testing due to suspected liver or digestive issues. The tests revealed that about 30% of dogs and 22% of cats had infections in their bile, with common bacteria like E. coli found. Inflammation was also noted in some samples. The study found that checking bile under a microscope can be a helpful and cost-effective way to diagnose issues before doing more complex tests. Most pets had underlying health problems, but only a couple of dogs experienced complications from the procedure.
People also search for: dog bile infection symptoms · cat liver disease diagnosis · cholecystocentesis complications in dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Cholecystocentesis can be part of the diagnostic workup of hepatobiliary disease in small animals, but literature on cytological evaluation of bile is scant. OBJECTIVES: To determine the diagnostic utility of cytological assessment of bile aspirates. ANIMALS: Fifty-six and 78 client-owned dogs and cats, respectively, with bile collected by cholecystocentesis and submitted to our diagnostic laboratory between 1999 and 2014. METHODS: Retrospective study describing cytological findings of bile, concurrent bacterial culture results, hematological and serum biochemical data, gallbladder biopsy results, as well as final diagnosis and complications after cholecystocentesis. RESULTS: Infectious agents were found in 30% of canine and 22% of feline bile aspirates, and inflammation in 5% and 19% respectively. Presence of microorganisms was more often detected on cytological examination (24%) than by culture (21%). The most common bacterial isolates were Escherichia coli and Enterococcus spp., isolated from 14.8% and 6.7% of cultured samples respectively. Only increased canine pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity concentration (cPLI) was significantly associated with the presence of microorganisms, inflammatory cells, or both in bile. Clinically relevant complications of cholecystocentesis occurred in 2 dogs. The majority of the animals undergoing cholecystocentesis suffered from hepatic, pancreatic, gastrointestinal disease, or a combination thereof. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Cytological examination of bile is inexpensive and straightforward, and yields diagnostically relevant information that precedes and complements bacterial culture.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26566964/