Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Benign chest masses causing breathing issues in three cats
By Malik, R et al.·Published in Australian veterinary journal·1997·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Benign cranial mediastinal lesions in three cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Three cats were found to have abnormal growths in their chest area, which caused different breathing issues. One cat had a mass that was either a lymphangioma or a branchial cyst, and it was successfully removed through surgery. The second cat had a cystic thymoma, also surgically removed, while the third cat had myasthenia gravis and improved with a steroid treatment, so surgery wasn’t needed. Overall, these cases show that not all chest masses in cats are cancerous, and many can be treated effectively with surgery or medication.
People also search for: cat breathing problems · cat chest mass treatment · myasthenia gravis in cats · cat thymoma surgery
Abstract
Cranial mediastinal lesions were detected in three cats, associated with respiratory impairment (case one), spontaneous pneumothorax (case two) and myasthenia gravis (case three), respectively. On gross and histological examination, the first case was considered either a lymphangioma or a branchial cystic mass of the thymic region of the mediastinum; a cystic lesion was suggested by sonographic detection of multiple anechoic cavitations within a circumscribed mass, while fine needle aspiration cytology excluded lymphosarcoma. The second case was diagnosed histologically as a cystic thymoma, but the third case was not examined microscopically. The masses were amenable to surgical excision in the first two cats, while this proved unnecessary in the third case because of resolution following treatment with dexamethasone. Corticosteroid responsiveness was unhelpful in distinguishing between these benign lesions and lymphosarcoma, as in two cases there was a partial or complete response to dosing with prednisolone or dexamethasone. These cases are presented to emphasise that conditions other than lymphosarcoma can produce cranial mediastinal lesions in cats, and that the prognosis for surgical treatment of lymphangiomas, multilocular thymic cysts and cystic thymomas can be excellent.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9088508/