Bile Duct Carcinoma in an Eight Year-Old Domestic Shorthair Cat
An eight year-old male castrated domestic shorthair cat presented for a four-day history of jaundice, lethargy, anorexia, and vomiting. On presentation, the patient was quiet and grossly icteric with petechiae on his skin. He had an inflammatory and stress leukogram, hematocrit of .36%, and severe elevations in ALT, AST, ALP, GGT, and total bilirubin (37 mg/dL; reference 0- 0.2 mg/dL). Abdominal ultrasound revealed a mass in the common bile duct near the major duodenal papilla. The extrahepatic bile ducts were severely enlarged (up to 2.1 cm) and severely tortuous. Intrahepatic bile ducts were diffusely, mild to moderately enlarged (up to 0.35cm). The mass was determined to be 11011-resectable at exploratory laparotomy, and thus a cholecystoduodenostomy was perfo1med. The patient was hypotensive while under anesthesia, which persisted post-operatively despite treatment with nmepinephrine. The day after surgery, the patient was still depressed and hypotensive, and he was euthanized due to grave prognosis. Biopsies of the mass and liver taken at surgery revealed cholangiocellular carcinoma, lymphoplasmacytic cholangitis, and hepatic lipidosis.