Common bile duct obstruction secondary to chronic fibrosing pancreatitis: treatment by use of cholecystoduodenostomy in the dog.

Six small to medium-sized, middle-aged, female dogs with histories of acute pancreatitis developed clinical signs of extrahepatic biliary obstruction. Clinical findings were similar in the 6 dogs and included icterus. Serum biochemical analyses indicated high concentrations of total bilirubin and cholesterol and high alkaline phosphatase and alanine transaminase activities. Exploratory abdominal surgery was performed in each dog. Each dog had a firm mass involving the body of the pancreas, with obstruction of the distal portion of the common bile duct, marked peripancreatic inflammation, and omental adhesions. Cholecystoduodenostomy, using an open mucosal appositional technique for biliary redirection, was performed in each dog. Clinically, results of surgery were good to excellent (ie, lack of postoperative icterus, anorexia, lethargy, or weight loss and absence or infrequency of vomiting). The mean postoperative evaluation period for the 6 dogs was 35 months (range, 20 to 48 months); 5 dogs were alive and healthy at the end of the study. Histologic examination of tissue specimens of the pancreatic mass indicated chronic active fibrosing pancreatitis in the 6 dogs.