Surgical resection of a giant hepatic cyst in a cat with polycystic liver disease

Large hepatic cysts in cats cause marked abdominal enlargement while maintaining normal baseline serum and liver enzyme levels. A 3-year-old neutered male Domestic Shorthair cat presented with progressive abdominal distension and inappetence. Radiography revealed a large, fluid-density abdominal mass causing visceral displacement, and ultrasonography confirmed the presence of multiple thin-walled, anechoic intrahepatic cysts. Exploratory laparotomy achieved complete excision of the primary 15-cm cyst, alongside partial hepatectomy. Cytological evaluation confirmed clear hypocellular fluid with hepatocyte lipid vacuolation and the absence of inflammatory cells. Integrated clinical, imaging, and macroscopic findings definitively established polycystic liver disease, demonstrating that diagnostic imaging is essential when serum biochemistry fails to reflect severe structural liver pathologies.