Abstract
Hepatic disease is often treatable and has a predictable prognosis when a definitive diagnosis is made. The aim of clinicopathological evaluation of hepatobiliary affections is to identify and characterize hepatic damage and dysfunction, identify possible primary causes of secondary liver disease, differentiate causes of icterus, evaluate potential anaesthetic risks, assess prognosis and response to xenobiotics, and monitor response to therapy. This paper describes the different diagnostic methods and imaging techniques employed in diagnosis of hepatobiliary affections in dogs. Besides reviewing the significant clinical manifestations and imaging structural abnormalities in diagnostic approach to different hepatic affections, it also depicts radiographic, ultrasonographic, and wherever applicable, the laparoscopic characterization of different hepatic affections and target lesions encountered in clinical cases presented in the Teaching Veterinary Clinical Complex, COVAS, Palampur in the year 2007-2008.
Highlights
Hepatic affections in the dog are associated with varied and often vague clinical signs and frequently present a diagnostic challenge to veterinary practitioners
Systemic diseases and various drugs can cause misleading increases in serum activities, and it can be a clinical dilemma to decide whether liver enzyme elevations are significant, and whether they represent primary or secondary liver disease [2]
With the advent of time, ultrasonography evolved as the paramount technique of diagnostic imaging
Summary
Hepatic affections in the dog are associated with varied and often vague clinical signs and frequently present a diagnostic challenge to veterinary practitioners. Laparoscopy is emerging as a fruitful imaging modality It offers tremendous advantage of direct visceral visual inspection of liver and allows its descriptive or photographic documentation. This technique provides three-dimensional evaluations of liver and is a minimal invasive method to obtain cytology, biopsy, and cultural samples from focal lesions or generalized disease condition/carcinomatous growth of liver [3]. A tentative diagnosis of primary hepatic disease can be deduced by correlating the ultrasonographic abnormalities with the history, physical examination findings, clinical laboratory results, and radiographic/laparoscopic observations. For identification of specific hepatopathies and establishment of definitive diagnosis of primary liver disease, the histopathological examination of the liver biopsy specimens is usually required
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