Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with heart base tumor pressing on heart and covering sac
By Kharbush, R J et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2021·The Animal Medical Center, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: B-cell lymphoma invading and compressing the heart base and pericardium in a cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 3-year-old domestic shorthair cat was brought in because he was very tired, not eating, coughing, and having trouble breathing for two weeks. The vet found abnormal lung sounds and an enlarged heart on X-rays. An ultrasound showed a large mass pressing on his heart and lungs, which was later identified as B-cell lymphoma, a type of cancer. Unfortunately, the decision was made to euthanize him due to the severity of his condition.
People also search for: cat coughing and lethargy · cat heart problems · B-cell lymphoma in cats · cat respiratory distress treatment
Abstract
A 3-year-old, 3.5-kg, neutered male, domestic shorthair cat presented with progressive lethargy, anorexia, coughing, and acute respiratory distress of two-week duration. Auscultation detected diffuse pulmonary crackles. Lung sounds were absent over the left cranial thorax. Sinus tachycardia was recorded. Thoracic radiographs revealed cardiac silhouette enlargement, dorsal displacement of the carina, and uniform, soft tissue opacity in the left cranial hemithorax. Transthoracic two-dimensional echocardiography revealed a large mass within and external to the pericardial space, effacing the pericardium, and compressing basal cardiac structures. The point-of-care feline immunodeficiency virus and feline leukemia virus test was negative. Euthanasia was elected, and permission for necropsy granted. Gross postmortem evaluation revealed a prominent mediastinal mass that effaced the left cranial lung lobe and invaded the heart base and pericardium. The mass was confirmed as B-cell lymphoma by histopathology and immunohistochemistry.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33894589/