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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Imaging diagnosis--extrahepatic biliary tract obstruction secondary to a biliary foreign body in a cat.

Journal:
Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association
Year:
2014
Authors:
Brioschi, Valentina et al.
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge · United Kingdom
Species:
cat

Plain-English summary

An 11-year-old neutered female British Shorthair cat was brought to the vet because she had been experiencing abdominal pain and vomiting for four weeks. An ultrasound of her abdomen showed that her common bile duct was swollen and contained a long, thin object. The vet suspected that this could be a foreign body or possibly some kind of parasite. During surgery, they found two pieces of grass that were blocking the bile duct, and although they noticed some unusual blood vessels, it wasn't related to her problem. After the grass was removed, her symptoms went away completely.

Abstract

An 11-year-old, neutered female British Shorthair cat was referred with a 4-week history of abdominal pain and vomiting. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed a dilated common bile duct containing a spindle-shaped structure with several reflecting interfaces. Differentials that were considered included an intraluminal foreign body, or helminth parasites within the common bile duct. Surgical exploration of the abdominal cavity demonstrated the presence of two grass awns obstructing the common bile duct. Anomalies of the portal vasculature were noted during surgery and were considered an incidental finding. The clinical signs resolved following surgical removal of the grass awns.

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Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23919830/