Digestive: Liver

Question 1

What is the clinical description of a yellow discoloration of the sclera, skin, and mucus membranes? What causes this discoloration?

Answer 1

Jaundice/ Icterus

Biliruben

Question 2

Jaundice is separated into 3 primary conditions. What are they?

Answer 2

Pre-hepatic: moderate to severe hemolysis

Hepatic: inability of hepatocytes to properly process and transport bilirubin out of hepatocytes

Post-hepatic: inability to excrete bile into the duodenum

Question 3

A complete physical exam includes:

• Assessment of mucus membranes, heart rate, and pulse quality
• Abdominal palpation
• Fever
• Neuro examination

What differentials are these aspects evaluating for?

Answer 3

• mm, hr, and pulse quality: anemia
• Abdominal palp: hepatomegaly, cranial abdominal pain, masses or effusions
• Fever: infections or inflammatory processes
• Neuro exam: hepatic encephalopathy

Question 6

You have a patient with jaundice. When would an exploratory laparotomy be recommended?

Answer 6

• Persistently dilated common bile duct with increasing hyperbilirubinemia
• Biliary mucocele, gallbladder rupture, or cholelithiasis with evidence of obstruction

Question 7

You are doing a general workup on Freddy a MN DSH cat. His bloodwork indicates and increased ALT and AST.

What does this indicate?

Answer 7

a decrease in hepatocyte membrane integrity, such as hepatocyte or biliary epithelial necrosis

Question 8

You are doing a general workup on Freddy a MN DSH cat. His bloodwork indicates and increased ALP and GGT.

What liver changes does this reflect?

Answer 8

Choleostasis or an induction phenomenon associated with increased sysnthesis