Polycystic disease of the kidney and liver in the Cairn Terrier.

Three related puppies with abdominal distention caused by nephromegaly and hepatomegaly had gross and histologic lesions in the kidney and liver similar to polycystic disease of children. Both kidneys were enlarged and reniform, and contained multiple fusiform or cylindrical cysts lined by cuboidal epithelium radiating through the cortex and medulla. Various amounts of connective tissue surrounded the cysts. The glomeruli and renal pelvis were normal. Histologically, the liver was diffusely subdivided by fibrous connective tissue extending from one portal triad to another. Within the connective tissue, there was proliferation of biliary epithelium, giving the gross appearance of multiple cysts within normal hepatic parenchyma.