Colecistectomia em cão devido à mucocele biliar assintomática: relato de caso

Abstract

Gallbladder mucocele is a condition characterized by the abnormal accumulation of thick, immobile mucus within the gallbladder lumen, which may progress to biliary obstruction, necrosis, gallbladder rupture, biliary peritonitis, and death. Although it is frequently associated with nonspecific clinical signs, asymptomatic cases may be diagnosed incidentally through imaging examinations. This study aims to report a case of asymptomatic gallbladder mucocele incidentally diagnosed in a geriatric female dog undergoing evaluation for recurrent mammary neoplasia, as well as to describe the clinical, laboratory, ultrasonographic findings, surgical treatment, and postoperative outcome. A 15-year-old spayed mixed-breed female dog with a history of recurrent mammary neoplasia was followed. During abdominal ultrasonography performed to investigate metastatic disease, gallbladder enlargement with immobile echogenic material filling the entire lumen was observed, consistent with a type I gallbladder mucocele, in addition to an inflammatory appearance of the duodenal papilla. Despite the absence of evident clinical signs, the patient presented sporadic episodes of vomiting and abdominal pain upon palpation. Laboratory findings revealed increased alkaline phosphatase activity, whereas the remaining parameters were within the reference ranges. Based on these findings, cholecystectomy was elected and successfully performed. It is concluded that ultrasonographic monitoring of gallbladder abnormalities should be performed in order to prevent complications associated with gallbladder mucocele.