Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with voice change and Horner's syndrome from ear tumor
By Kang, Dong-Jae et al.·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2023·Department of Veterinary Internal Medicine, South Korea·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Case report: Villaret's syndrome caused by middle ear adenocarcinoma in a cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 7-year-old male American Shorthair cat was brought in with a droopy left eye, changes in his voice, trouble swallowing, and occasional coughing. The vet discovered a tumor in the cat's middle ear that was affecting several nerves, leading to these unusual symptoms. After performing surgery to remove the tumor, it was confirmed to be a type of cancer called adenocarcinoma. Following the surgery, the cat's symptoms improved significantly, and he was able to recover well.
People also search for: cat voice change · cat swallowing problems · American Shorthair tumor treatment · cat coughing and eye droop · Villaret's syndrome in cats
Abstract
A 7-year-old castrated male American Shorthair cat presented with left-side Horner's syndrome and voice change. The overall clinical presentation included dysphagia, intermittent coughing, unilateral miosis, and third eyelid protrusion of the left eye. A topical 1% phenylephrine was applied, and miosis and protrusion of the third eyelid disappeared within 20 min which suggested a post-ganglionic lesion. Laryngoscopy showed left-sided laryngeal paralysis. Computed tomography (CT) identified a mass lesion invading outside of the left tympanic bulla with osteolysis. Endoscopically assisted ventral bulla osteotomy was performed for tumor resection and definitive diagnosis. Middle ear adenocarcinoma was diagnosed based on histopathology. It appears that these neurological signs occurred due to adenocarcinoma in the tympanic bulla, penetrating the jugular foramen and the hypoglossal canal and damaging the cranial nerve IX (glossopharyngeal nerve), X (vagus nerve), XI (accessory nerve), and XII (hypoglossal nerve) and the sympathetic nerve. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of Villaret's syndrome associated with middle ear adenocarcinoma affecting the nerves passing through the jugular foramen and hypoglossal canal in cats.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37576831/