Evaluation of bile acids and bilirubin in serum and abdominal fluid in dogs with abdominal effusion

Although the number of dogs with biliary tract rupture in this study population was small, abdominal fluid bile acids concentration may have a better accuracy than fluid-to-serum bilirubin ratio for the diagnosis of biliary tract rupture. The utility of fluid-to-serum bilirubin ratio for the diagnosis of biliary tract rupture, appears limited. Further studies with a larger number of biliary tract rupture cases are required to support these conclusions.