95. Liver and Biliary System questions Flashcards
What makes surgery of the liver and extrahepatic biliary tract technically challenging in small animals?
Limited mobility, high vascularity, friable hepatic tissue, and physiologically compromised patients.
What is the approximate right-to-left mass proportion of the liver in dogs?
Approximately 3:2.
Name the four main lobes of the liver in dogs and cats.
Left, right, quadrate, and caudate lobes.
Which lobe is the largest in the liver of dogs and cats?
The left lobe.
What separates the left lateral and medial lobes of the liver in dogs?
A substantial cleft.
Which lobe of the liver forms part of the gallbladder fossa?
The quadrate lobe.
Where is the caudate process of the caudate lobe usually located?
Near the level of the twelfth intercostal space.
What ligament attaches the liver to the diaphragm?
The coronary ligament.
Which ligament attaches the caudate lobe of the liver to the right kidney?
The hepatorenal ligament.
What are the primary blood supplies to the liver?
The hepatic artery and portal vein.
What percentage of blood volume and oxygen does the hepatic artery supply to the liver?
20% of blood volume and 50% of oxygen.
What percentage of blood flow and oxygen does the portal vein supply to the liver?
80% of blood flow and 50% of oxygen.
What does the cystic artery supply?
The gallbladder.
What veins form the portal vein in dogs?
The cranial and caudal mesenteric veins.
What are the main divisions of the portal vein as it enters the liver in dogs?
Right and left main branches.
What is the role of Kupffer cells in the liver?
Phagocytosis of harmful endogenous and foreign substances.
Which cells are responsible for bile production in the liver?
Hepatocytes.
Where does the common bile duct enter the duodenum in dogs?
At the major duodenal papilla.
Which vitamin is essential for coagulation factor activation in the liver?
Vitamin K.
What is the hepatic arterial buffer response?
A compensatory mechanism where decreased portal flow increases hepatic arterial perfusion.
Which substance’s washout is believed to influence the hepatic arterial buffer response?
Adenosine.
What complication can result from bile spillage in the peritoneal cavity?
Bile peritonitis.
What is the main imaging modality for evaluating the liver and biliary tract in small animals?
Ultrasonography.
What is a typical sign of extrahepatic biliary obstruction on ultrasound?
Distention of the common bile duct.
What are common causes of extrahepatic biliary obstruction in dogs?
Pancreatitis, neoplasia, gallbladder mucoceles, cholangitis, and cholelithiasis.
What is the Pringle maneuver?
A technique involving temporary compression of the hepatic artery and portal vein to control hemorrhage.
What is the composition of bile?
Bile acids, bilirubin, cholesterol, phospholipids, water, bicarbonate, and other ions.
What pigment gives feces its brown color and results from bile breakdown?
Stercobilin.
What is the main function of bile salts in the intestine?
Emulsification of fats for digestion and absorption.
Which species has a conjoined bile and pancreatic duct just before entering the duodenum?
Cats.
What is the role of the sphincter of Oddi?
Regulates the flow of bile and pancreatic secretions into the duodenum.
Which imaging modality is commonly used for assessing hepatic blood flow and vascular anomalies?
Color-flow Doppler ultrasonography.
What are the three hepatic divisions in cats based on portal vein supply?
Right, central, and left divisions.
What role does the liver play in glucose metabolism?
Maintains plasma glucose through gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis.
What occurs in cases of severe hepatic disease concerning plasma proteins?
Hypoalbuminemia due to loss of hepatic functional capacity.
Which liver function test is crucial before invasive procedures in animals with liver disease?
Coagulation screening.
What is the most common cause of extrahepatic biliary tract trauma in dogs?
Blunt abdominal trauma, often from motor vehicle accidents.
What imaging technique provides functional evaluation of the extrahepatic biliary tract in humans but is less common in veterinary use?
Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography.
What is a common complication in cats with extrahepatic biliary obstruction during anesthesia?
Hypotension and poor response to vasopressor agents.
What causes “kiwi fruit” gallbladder appearance on ultrasound?
Gallbladder mucocele.