Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with porcelain gallbladder and bile duct cancer symptoms
By Brömel, C et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1998·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Porcelain gallbladder associated with primary biliary adenocarcinoma in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 9-year-old spayed female Poodle was brought in because she had been vomiting for three weeks, was lethargic, and had lost her appetite. The vet found signs of pain in her abdomen and ran tests that showed liver issues and a possible problem with her gallbladder. Imaging revealed a thickened gallbladder wall with mineral deposits, and surgery confirmed the presence of gallstones and a type of cancer called adenocarcinoma. After the gallbladder was removed, the dog recovered well and remained healthy 14 months later.
People also search for: dog vomiting and lethargy · Poodle gallbladder surgery · porcelain gallbladder in dogs · dog gallbladder cancer treatment
Abstract
A 9-year-old spayed female Poodle was admitted because of vomiting of 3 weeks' duration, lethargy, and anorexia. Palpation of the cranial portion of the abdomen elicited signs of pain. Principal laboratory abnormalities included mild segmented neutrophilia, lymphopenia, high serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase activities, and hyperbilirubinemia. Radiography revealed foamy appearing areas of mineral opacity in the region of the gallbladder. Ultrasonographically, a hyperechoic structure with acoustic shadowing was seen in the same region, and extrahepatic bile ducts were distended. Cholecystectomy was performed. The gallbladder wall felt thicker than normal and was bluish-white. Multiple choleliths were found in the gallbladder and extrahepatic bile ducts. Histologic examination revealed chronic proliferative lymphoplasmacytic cholecystitis with mineralization and a well-differentiated adenocarcinoma of the gallbladder neck. A diagnosis of porcelain gallbladder was made. The dog recovered without complications and was healthy 14 months after surgery. To our knowledge, porcelain gallbladder has not been reported in dogs. In human patients, it is defined as intramural mineralization of the gallbladder commonly associated with gallbladder neoplasia. Early recognition is important for appropriate surgical treatment.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9787380/