Ultrasonographic Appearance of Gallbladder Neoplasia in 14 Dogs and 1 Cat

Abstract

Ultrasonography is the most commonly used diagnostic imaging tool for gallbladder disease in veterinary medicine. Primary gallbladder neoplasia is an uncommon finding with variable prognosis for which no studies have been published describing their ultrasonographic appearance and diagnosis. This retrospective, multicenter, case series study examines the ultrasonographic appearance of gallbladder neoplasia with histologically or cytologically confirmed diagnoses. A total of 14 dogs and 1 cat were analyzed. All discrete masses were sessile in shape and varied in size, echogenicity, location, and gallbladder wall thickening. All studies with images showing Doppler interrogation exhibited vascularity. Cholecystoliths were an uncommon finding, being present in only one case in this study, unlike in humans. The final diagnosis of the gallbladder neoplasia was neuroendocrine carcinoma (8), leiomyoma (3), lymphoma (1), gastrointestinal stromal tumor (1), extrahepatic cholangiocellular carcinoma (1), and adenoma (1). Findings from this study indicate that primary gallbladder neoplasms have variable sonographic appearances and cytologic and histologic diagnoses.

Ultrasonographic features of gallbladder wall thickening in dogs with hypoalbuminemia

“… 2016 ), neoplasia (MacLeod et al. 2023 ), or physiologic thickening resulting from partial wall contracture (Spaulding 1993 ). Gallbladder wall subserosal edema is considered when there is a 3-layer appearance, with thin inner and outer layers and a thick hypoechoic middle layer (Spaulding 1993 ).…”

Unusual Case of Biliary Peritonitis in a Dog Secondary to a Gastric Perforation

“…The presence of bile in the abdominal cavity is due to the spontaneous or iatrogenic (i.e., surgery) rupture of the biliary system. Cholangitis (primary or sequela to the gallbladder disease), obstruction of a bile duct, neoplasia of the biliary system, and trauma are the most frequent conditions causing the leakage of bile from the biliary system reported in the literature [ 6 , 7 ]. Canine cholangitis is often related to bacterial infection.…”

Clinicopathologic findings of splenic marginal zone lymphoma with gallbladder involvement that progressed to diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma in a dog

“…In veterinary medicine, gallbladder lymphoma is a rare disease; moreover, there have been only a few case reports of primary gallbladder lymphoma and lymphomas originating from other organs with gallbladder involvement. 7,8 In human medicine, gallbladder lymphoma is also rare and difficult to preoperatively diagnose, with most cases being preoperatively diagnosed as gallbladder tumor, cholecystitis, or cholelithiasis until confirmation through postoperative pathology. [21][22][23] The rarity of gallbladder lymphoma could be attributed to the lack of lymphoid tissue in the normal gallbladder.…”

“…The histopathologic examination could not determine whether the splenic MZL and hepatobiliary lymphoma originated from an identical neoplastic clone or collision lymphomas with two different neoplastic phenotypes. Canine gallbladder lymphoma is extremely rare7,8 ; further, there have been no previous reports of lymphomas originating from other organs and invading the gallbladder. This impeded elucidation of the underlying pathophysiology based on the pathological findings alone.…”