Extrahepatic biliary tract diseases in cats. Case reports and bibliographic synthesis

Biliary tract diseases in domestic carnivores and in particular in cats are still little described rare diseases. They group together congenital anatomical anomalities, inflammatory affections (cholangitis, cholecystitis), tumors, cholelithiasis, inflammatory or traumatic stenosis, sphincter of Oddi dysfunctions. All these affections lead secondarily to a cholestasis which may be responsible for serious hepatobiliary affections. They may also be the result of a chronic intestinal, pancreatic or hepatic inflammation. There is in cats a real pathological trilogy associating the digestive tract and its ancillary glands. This article describes different pathological situations of the extrahepatic biliary tract and provides a bibliographic synthesis on current data pertaining to these affections.