OBJECTIVE: To compare, by means of ultrasonography, pre- and postoperative anatomical changes arising from experimentally induced obstructive jaundice in porcine models.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six 36-day-old Landrace pigs underwent laparoscopically induced complete biliary obstruction by common bile duct ligation.
RESULTS: No difficulty was faced during the procedures and the surgical recovery was uneventful. After seven days, the animals showed jaundice, bilirubinuria and acholic stools. Comparative ultrasonography allowed visualization of hepatomegaly, cholecystomegaly and increased caliber of the common bile duct in all the animals, as well as changes resulting from cholestasis. The morphometric analysis revealed a significant increase in diameter of the gallbladders and left lateral liver lobes.
CONCLUSION: Pigs represent appropriate experimental models for investigation of obstructive jaundice, and ultrasonography has shown to be sensitive, playing a relevant role in the diagnosis of extrahepatic biliary obstruction in such animals.
Keywords: Biometry; Obstructive jaundice; Extrahepatic cholestasis.