Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Puppy with trouble swallowing and weight loss - what is megaesophagus?
By Becker, Cecilie B & Jensen, Henrik E·Published in Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc·2024·Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Clinicopathologic evaluation of congenital idiopathic megaesophagus in a Gordon Setter puppy: a case report and development and application of peripherin immunohistochemistry for detection of ganglion cells.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-week-old female Gordon Setter puppy was brought in because she wasn't gaining weight and had a swollen esophagus. Tests showed that her esophagus was enlarged and not functioning properly, which was confirmed during an autopsy. The puppy had a condition called congenital idiopathic megaesophagus, where the nerves controlling the esophagus are missing or not working correctly. Unfortunately, due to the severity of her condition, treatment options were limited, and she did not survive.
People also search for: puppy not gaining weight · Gordon Setter megaesophagus symptoms · congenital megaesophagus treatment
Abstract
We examined a case of congenital idiopathic megaesophagus (CIM) in a 5-wk-old female Gordon Setter puppy by means of contrast radiography, autopsy, histopathology, and immunohistochemistry. Clinical and radiologic findings included weight stagnation and marked generalized esophageal dilation with ventral displacement of the heart and lungs. These findings were confirmed at autopsy, and segments of the thoracic esophagus were sampled for histopathology. On histopathology, diffuse esophageal muscular atrophy, mucosal erosions, mononuclear inflammation, and a marked reduction in the number of myenteric plexus structures and number of ganglion cells were present (aganglionosis). The latter was determined immunohistochemically using an anti-peripherin antibody as the primary reagent, which provides a strong tool for the histologic confirmation of CIM. The histologic findings share some similarities to lesions associated with megaesophagus in Friesian foals, as well as esophageal achalasia and Hirschsprung disease in humans.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38305240/