Short-term outcomes and mortality predictors in 41 dogs undergoing cholecystectomy for gallbladder mucocele: a single referral centre study.

BACKGROUND

Gallbladder mucocele (GBM) in dogs is a challenging disease associated with variable surgical outcomes. Several prognostic factors have been proposed, but predictors of short-term mortality remain incompletely defined. This retrospective study aimed to report the 30-day mortality rate following cholecystectomy for GBM and to evaluate potential prognostic factors in a population of client-owned dogs treated at a referral centre between 2016 and 2022.

RESULTS

Forty-one dogs met the inclusion criteria. The overall 30-day mortality rate was 14.6% (6/41). Factors significantly associated with mortality included preoperative leukopenia (P = 0.01), abdominal effusion detected on preoperative ultrasonography (P = 0.05), and necrotizing cholecystitis, diagnosed on histopathology (P = 0.05). Elevated C-reactive protein (> 0.8 mg/dL) was associated with higher 30-day mortality compared to normal CRP (3/6 [50.0%] vs. 7/35 [20.0%]; P = 0.01), as were leukopenia (3/6 [50.0%] vs. 9/35 [25.7%]; P = 0.01), abdominal effusion (5/6 [83.3%] vs. 26/35 [74.3%]; P = 0.05), and necrotizing cholecystitis (3/6 [50.0%] vs. 7/35 [20.0%]; P = 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Leukopenia, increased C-reactive protein, and abdominal effusion are preoperatively identifiable predictors of poor outcome following cholecystectomy for GBM in dogs, and their early recognition may improve risk stratification and perioperative decision-making. Necrotizing cholecystitis was also identified as a histopathological predictor of mortality; while this finding is not available in time to influence postoperative management, it represents an interesting prognostic observation. These findings should be interpreted cautiously due to the retrospective design and limited sample size.