CONGENITAL INTRAHEPATIC ARTERIOVENOUS-FISTULAS IN A YOUNG BEAGLE DOG

Congenital intrahepatic arteriovenous fistulae, a rare hepatic vascula r anomaly, in an 8-mo-old female beagle dog was investigated. The anim al showed anorexia, repeated vomiting, hemorrhagic diarrhea, and jaund ice for approximately 2 wk. There was mild to severe increase of serum alkaline phosphatase, glutamic-oxalacetic transaminase, glutamic pyru vic transaminase, total cholesterol, total bilirubin, and gamma-glutam yl transpeptidase. Macroscopically, the main abdominal organs showed h emorrhagic edema together with bloody ascites. Other characteristic fi ndings were severe hepatic atrophy (right medial, quadrate. left media l, and lateral lobes) with multiple vascular cysts and compensatory hy pertrophy of the other lobes. The cystic vessels seemed to extend from the proper hepatic arteries and their branches but were indistinguish able from the portal vein. Histopathologically, the atrophied hepatic lobes were characterized by wide, fibrous septa containing severe hype rplasia and anastomosis of the arteriolae and venulae and proliferatio n of bile ducts.