Gallbladder leiomyoma treated by laparoscopic cholecystectomy in a dog

A 12-year-old spayed female Chinese Crested was referred because of a mass detected in the gallbladder during ultrasonographic evaluation of the abdomen, which had been prompted by a history of high serum liver enzyme activities.

Serum biochemical analysis revealed mild hypoglobulinemia and high alkaline phosphatase, γ-glutamyltransferase, and alanine aminotransferase activities. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed diffuse hepatopathy and multiple pedunculated mucosal structures within the gallbladder.

Following initial treatment with ursodiol (11.4 mg/kg [5.18 mg/lb], PO, q 12 h) and S-adenosylmethionine (30 mg/kg [13.6 mg/lb], PO, q 24 h) for 1 month to address possible cholestasis, no change was noted in ultrasonographic or serum biochemical findings. Consequently, laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed concurrently with laparoscopic liver biopsy. Histologic evaluation of resected gallbladder tissue and the liver biopsy specimen revealed evidence of multifocal to coalescing leiomyomas of the gallbladder and multifocal lipogranulomas of the liver. Eleven days after the dog was discharged from the hospital, it was taken to an emergency clinic because of anorexia, vomiting, and diarrhea. Mild pancreatitis or gastroenteritis was suspected, supportive treatment was provided, and ursodiol and S-adenosylmethionine administration was reinitiated. At the time of follow-up telephone contact with the owner 234 days after surgery, the dog continued to receive ursodiol and S-adenosylmethionine and had no clinical signs associated with hepatobiliary disease.

Leiomyomas, although rare, can develop in dogs and should be considered as a differential diagnosis for intramural gallbladder lesions. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy served as a minimally invasive surgical treatment for this benign neoplasia.