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Case Reports
. 2017 Mar 18;79(3):509-512.
doi: 10.1292/jvms.16-0656. Epub 2017 Feb 10.

Cholecystectomy in a heifer

Takeshi Tsuka  1 , Hinako Tanaka, Shinji Kono, Takehito Morita, Yusuke Murahata, Kazuo Azuma, Tomohiro Osaki, Norihiko Ito, Yoshiharu Okamoto, Tomohiro Imagawa
Affiliations
Case Reports

Cholecystectomy in a heifer

Takeshi Tsuka et al. J Vet Med Sci. .

Abstract

A 10-month-old female Japanese black heifer presenting with sudden loss of appetite was diagnosed with extreme extension of the gallbladder. Laparotomy reaching from the right part of the 10th rib to the right flank showed an extended gallbladder greater than 50 cm in diameter. Cholecystectomy was performed as follows: 1) complete removal of the gallbladder distally from the base; 2) flushing via a catheter inserted into the common bile duct; and 3) covering of the hole opened in the common bile duct with a double-suturing method using the mucous membrane and muscular layers of the remaining gallbladder structures. Serum levels of total bilirubin gradually decreased from 7.5 mg/dl preoperatively to 4.7 mg/dl, 1.6 mg/dl and 0.6 mg/dl at 3, 8 and 34 days postoperatively, respectively. The heifer showed 1 month of clinical improvements, grew normally and finally became pregnant. To the best of our knowledge, this represents the first clinical report to describe cholecystectomy in cattle.

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Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
The abdominal cavity during laparotomy. Extreme extension of the gallbladder greater than 50 cm (arrow) is evident within the distal region of the liver (asterisk).
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Intraoperative view during surgical resection of the gallbladder. The opening hole to the common bile duct (asterisk) is evident within the base of the gallbladder in surgical resection halfway around the wall of the gallbladder (arrow).
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Intraoperative view during surgical resection of the gallbladder. (A) A tube is inserted through the opening hole into the common bile duct and toward the duodenum. (B) Flushing is performed via the catheter tube for lavage inside the common bile duct.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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