Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat found with a fetus growing outside the uterus in abdomen
By Rosset, Emilie et al.·Published in Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery·2011·University Lyon 1, Pathology of Reproduction, VetAgro-Sup, Veterinary Campus of Lyon, Marcy l’Etoile F-69280, France, France·View original on Crossref →
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Original publication title: A case report of an ectopic fetus in a cat
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
An 18-month-old female cat was brought in for a routine spay surgery when a mass resembling a full-term fetus was found in her abdomen. This cat had previously given birth to three healthy kittens six months earlier. An ultrasound confirmed that the mass was actually an ectopic (out-of-place) fetus. The veterinarians performed surgery to remove the mummified fetus, which was fully developed but not viable. The cat recovered well after the procedure.
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Abstract
An ectopic fetus was discovered in an 18-month-old uniparous queen that was admitted for an elective ovariectomy. Six months prior she had delivered three healthy kittens. During the preoperative examination, a mass similar in size to a full-term fetus was detected in the abdominal cavity. Ultrasound examination revealed the mass to be an ectopic fetus in the mid-abdominal region. A mummified fetus was removed by laparotomy. No rupture of the uterine wall was visible, but a small necrotic area was present on the left uterine horn, adjacent to the very proximal portion of the uterine horn. The fetus, which was fully developed and covered by a thin membrane, was carefully dissected. Histological examination did not enable us to definitively prove the extra-uterine development of the fetus; however, the ectopic development of the conceptus secondarily expelled into the peritoneal cavity could be assumed.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Crossref: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfms.2011.04.003