Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Long-term survival of dogs treated for gallbladder mucocele
By Parkanzky, Max et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2019·Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Long-term survival of dogs treated for gallbladder mucocele by cholecystectomy, medical management, or both.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 89 dogs diagnosed with gallbladder mucoceles (a condition where the gallbladder fills with mucus) were treated either with surgery, medication, or a combination of both. The dogs that underwent surgery had the best long-term survival, living an average of over 4.5 years after treatment, while those treated with medication alone had a much shorter survival time of about 4.5 months. For dogs that received both treatments, the average survival was around 6.5 months. If surgery is not an option, medication can still be a reasonable choice, but it may not provide the same long-term benefits as surgery.
People also search for: dog gallbladder mucocele treatment · gallbladder surgery for dogs · dog medication for gallbladder issues
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Gallbladder mucoceles (GBM) typically are treated by cholecystectomy. Medical management rarely has been reported and medical and surgical management have not been compared. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: To compare survival of dogs treated for GBM by medical management or cholecystectomy or both. ANIMALS: Eighty-nine client-owned dogs diagnosed with GBM that received cholecystectomy or medical treatment or both from 2011 to 2017. METHODS: Potential cases were identified by searching the medical records database. Data collected included signalment, clinicopathologic results, treatments, and ultrasonographic images and reports. Dogs were grouped according to the treatment received (medical management, surgical treatment, or both) that was chosen at the discretion of the attending veterinarian. Survival analysis was performed and prognostic variables identified and compared between treatment groups. RESULTS: Of dogs surviving at least 14 days after diagnosis, median survival times were 1802 (95% confidence interval [CI], 855-not reached) days, 1340 (95% CI, 444-1340) days, and 203 (95% CI, 18-525) days, for the surgical, medical, and medical then surgical treatment groups, respectively, and differed significantly (P < .0001). Gallbladder mucocele type (P = .05), serum alkaline phosphatase activity (P = .0001), and serum creatinine (P = .002) and phosphorus (P = .04) concentrations were associated with decreased survival across groups. Suspicion of biliary rupture on abdominal ultrasound (AUS) examination was correlated with increased survival in the surgical group (P = .02). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Cholecystectomy for the treatment of GBM results in the best long-term survival in dogs surviving the immediate postoperative period (14 days) compared to medical management. Although medical management is associated with shorter survival compared to surgical treatment, it is a reasonable alternative when surgery cannot be pursued.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31490022/