Hepatobiliary diseases in buffalo ( Bubalus bubalis ): clinical, laboratory, and ultrasonographic findings.

Focal parenchymal lesions including liver abscess (N=12) and hepatic cyst (N=6), diffuse parenchymal lesion (hepatobiliary cirrhosis, N=5) and obstruction of hepatobiliary passages including cholestasis (N=4) and hepatocholelithiasis (N=3) were successfully imaged by ultrasound. Hepatic abscess was imaged as hypoechoic to echogenic circumscribed mass, of various diameters, with distinct echogenic capsule. Hepatic cyst was imaged as pear shaped sac with bright echogenic margin, anechoic content and distal acoustic enhancement. In hepatobiliary fibrosis, the liver showed linear bands of increasing echogenicity with less distinct imaging of the portal vasculature. Cholestasis was imaged as dilatation of the gallbladder (GB) with thickening in its wall and homogenous or heterogenous contents. Hepatocholelithiasis was imaged as an echoic structure within the hepatic parenchyma or within and around GB and bile duct with increasing echogenicity of the hepatic parenchyma than normal. Ultrasonography could be used efficiently as a fast noninvasive tool for screening of the common hepatobiliary diseases in buffaloes under field condition.