Presence of hepatolithiasis in dogs undergoing cholecystectomy did not lead to biliary obstruction within the first postoperative year in 14 cases (2014–2024)

Objective To describe the long-term clinical significance of hepatolithiasis identified in dogs undergoing cholecystectomy. Animals 14 dogs that underwent cholecystectomy at a single university and had evidence of mineralizations or stones within the intrahepatic ducts on preoperative ultrasound between January 1, 2014, and May 31, 2024, were included. Clinical Presentation Dogs diagnosed with gallbladder disease requiring cholecystectomy and hepatolithiasis on preoperative ultrasound with or without intrahepatic duct dilation. Results Of 183 dogs undergoing cholecystectomy in 10 years, 14 (8%) were diagnosed with hepatolithiasis on preoperative diagnostic imaging. The median age and weight at the time of surgery were 11 years old (range, 3 to 13 years) and 7.3 kg (range, 1.63 to 30.0 kg), respectively. Gallbladder culture results were available for 12 of 14 dogs, showing no growth in 7 of 12 (58%), unimicrobial growth in 3 of 12 (25%), and polymicrobial growth in 2 of 12 (16.7%). Liver biopsies most commonly revealed hepatitis or cholangiohepatitis (9 of 14 [64%]). None of the dogs had any hepatoliths addressed during the cholecystectomy procedure. Perioperative mortality occurred in 2 of 14 (14%). No dogs surviving the perioperative period required follow-up surgical intervention due to progression or migration of hepatoliths into the common bile duct or other intrahepatic biliary obstruction within a median follow-up of 538.5 days (range, 147 to 3,316 days). Clinical Relevance Hepatolithiasis did not pose long-term complications in this population of dogs undergoing cholecystectomy. Dogs did not require secondary surgeries or long-term medical management for hepatolithiasis; therefore, the prognosis did not appear to be worse in dogs undergoing cholecystectomy.