Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Jul;52(5):697-703.
doi: 10.1111/vsu.13956. Epub 2023 Apr 12.

The effect of flushing of the common bile duct on hepatobiliary markers and short-term outcomes in dogs undergoing cholecystectomy for the management of gall bladder mucocele: A randomized controlled prospective study

Tom L Hernon  1 , Ed J Friend  1 , Guillaume Chanoit  1 , Vicki Black  1 , Lee B Meakin  1
Affiliations

The effect of flushing of the common bile duct on hepatobiliary markers and short-term outcomes in dogs undergoing cholecystectomy for the management of gall bladder mucocele: A randomized controlled prospective study

Tom L Hernon et al. Vet Surg. 2023 Jul.

Abstract

Objective: To determine the effect of flushing of the common bile duct (CBD) on hepatobiliary markers and short-term outcome in dogs undergoing cholecystectomy for the management of gallbladder mucocele (GBM).

Study design: Randomized, controlled, prospective study.

Animals: Thirty-two client-owned dogs.

Methods: Dogs were allocated randomly to either a "flush" group or a "non-flush group." Flushing was performed in a normograde fashion, followed by a routine cholecystectomy. Data collected included presenting clinical signs, preoperative and 3-day postoperative hepatobiliary markers (alkaline phosphatase, ALP; alanine aminotransferase, ALT; gamma glumatyl-transferase, GGT; bilirubin; cholesterol; triglycerides), duration of hospitalization, and complications. These data were compared between groups.

Results: Sixteen dogs were enrolled in each group. One dog (in the flush group) was excluded following diagnosis of hepatic lymphoma. Border terriers were overrepresented (20/31). Overall, there were marked reductions from preoperative to 3 days postoperative in serum bilirubin (p = .004), ALP (p = .020), ALT (p < .001), GGT (p = .025), and cholesterol (p < .001) values. There was no difference in any marker between groups. Survival to discharge was 90.3% (28/31 dogs).

Conclusion: Cholestatic markers decreased significantly 3 days postcholecystectomy. No short-term clinical or clinico-pathological benefits were identified when flushing the CBD in dogs undergoing cholecystectomy for GBM.

Clinical significance: The findings of the study do not support routine flushing of the CBD during cholecystectomy for GBM in dogs.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

REFERENCES

    1. Allerton F, Swinbourne F, Barker L, et al. Gallbladder mucoceles in Border terriers. J Vet Intern Med. 2018;32(5):1618-1628.
    1. Aguirre AL, Center SA, Randolph JF, et al. Gallbladder disease in Shetland sheepdogs: 38 cases (1995-2005). J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2007;231(1):79-88.
    1. Kutsunai M, Kanemoto H, Fukushima K, Fujino Y, Ohno K, Tsujimoto H. The association between gall bladder mucoceles and hyperlipidaemia in dogs: a retrospective case control study. Vet J. 2014;199(1):76-79.
    1. Center SA. Diseases of the gallbladder and biliary tree. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract. 2009;39(3):543-598.
    1. Mesich MLL, Mayhew PD, Paek M, Holt DE, Brown DC. Gall bladder mucoceles and their association with endocrinopathies in dogs: a retrospective case-control study. J Small Anim Pract. 2009;50(12):630-635.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources