Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Bilateral nodular lymphocytic conjunctivitis in a horse.
- Journal:
- Veterinary ophthalmology
- Year:
- 2005
- Authors:
- Stoppini, Riccardo et al.
- Affiliation:
- Solo Practitioner · Italy
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A Russian jumper horse was brought in because it had two masses on the inside of its eyelids, one on each eye. The veterinarian tried to remove the mass from the left eye completely and took a sample from the right eye, but the left eye mass came back quickly. However, after using a topical corticosteroid treatment (a type of anti-inflammatory medication applied to the eye), the mass on the left eye went away completely. Both masses were found to be similar in nature, showing signs of chronic inflammation with a lot of immune cells, but no specific cause was identified. This case is unique because it involved both eyes and showed that surgery alone didn't solve the problem, although the treatment ultimately worked for the left eye.
Abstract
A Russian jumper horse presented because of an ocular perilimbal conjunctival mass and, on clinical examination, two bilateral conjunctival masses were found, of different size and conformation. Attempts at complete excision of the left eye mass and excisional biopsy of the right eye mass were performed. The left eye mass recurred rapidly, but resolved completely after topical corticosteroid therapy. The two lesions had similar histopathologic features, characterized by focal, chronic, primarily lymphocytic conjunctivitis with follicular lymphoid hyperplasia. Special histopathologic staining techniques (Gomori methenamine silver and acid fast stains) and immunohistochemistry (for CD3, BLA36 and lysozyme) failed to reveal any etiologic agents and indicated an inflammatory lesion composed of a heterogeneous population of lymphocytes and macrophages (nodular lymphocytic conjunctivitis). The lesions were indistinguishable, clinically and behaviorally, from what has been reported as 'conjunctival pseudotumor' in the horse. Equine conjunctival pseudotumor/nodular lymphocytic conjunctivitis has been reported to be unilateral and have a good prognosis after partial or complete surgical excision. This is the first reported case of bilateral nodular lymphocytic conjunctivitis in a horse and for which surgical excision alone was not curative.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15762926/