Cholelithiasis with atrophy of the right lateral hepatic lobe in a horse

Abstract

A 22 year-old horse developed cholelithiasis with marked atrophy of the right lateral hepatic lobe. The horse had a history of intermittent colic since three years of age, and one of the first episodes of colic was associated with icterus. The size of the right lateral hepatic lobe was extremely reduced. There was a large choledocholith in the common hepatic duct, and several hepatoliths and choleliths in the intra- and extra-hepatic billiary ducts. Microscopically, there was severe atrophy of the right lobe with diffuse proliferation of connective tissue and billiary ducts. The left lateral lobe had peri-portal fibrosis with proliferation of billiary ducts, and billiary stasis. Chemical analysis of the calculi detected amorphous and triple phosphate, bilirubin, calcium, and iron.

Cholelithiasis, choledocholithiasis and hepatolithiasis with secondary necrotizing hepatitis and cholangiohepatitis in a dairy cow

“…A survey in Brazil found colelithis only at the gallbladder of 91 bovines, without any macroscopic hepatic lesion; being calculi considered as an incidental finding (10), and any case of 13 cholangiohepatitis in cattle was caused by coleliths in another survey (6). Hepatolithiasis lesions are well described in horses, with firm liver, diffuse proliferation of fibrous connective tissue and bile ducts, and atrophy of one of the lobes (11,12). Advanced age in extensive system production probably may have contributed to calculi formation in the present case; also coledocolitiasis and hepatolithiasis are likely to be secondary, which means that calculi formation probably had formation in the gallbladder and later ascended the biliary tract.…”

“…Calculi, which can be multiple or solitaire, are composed of variable amounts of bilirubin salt, calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate, calcium oxalate and proteic matrix (1, 3 5). Hepatolhitis with clinical and pathological changes are described in horses (11,12) and cattle (13). However, in cattle, gallstones occur most commonly in the gallbladder without further clinical signs and aged animals are more propense to calculi formation due to low bile production and reduced flow (1,3,10).…”