Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Colonic ganglioneuromatosis in a horse.
- Journal:
- Veterinary pathology
- Year:
- 2007
- Authors:
- Porter, B F et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Pathobiology · United States
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
This report discusses a case of an 8-year-old mixed breed horse diagnosed with a condition called ganglioneuromatosis, which involves the growth of complex tumors in the nerves of the digestive tract. In this horse, the tumors were found in a 25-centimeter section of the small colon and appeared as various nodules on the surface. Tests showed that these nodules contained nerve cells and supporting cells, indicating that they were related to the nervous system. Although ganglioneuromatosis is uncommon, it is important for veterinarians to consider it when diagnosing gastrointestinal tumors in horses. The exact cause of this condition is not well understood.
Abstract
Ganglioneuromas are complex tumors that arise in peripheral ganglia and are composed of well-differentiated neurons, nerve processes, Schwann cells, and enteric glial cells. The term ganglioneuromatosis (GN) denotes a regional or segmental proliferation of ganglioneuromatous tissue. This report describes an 8-year-old mixed breed horse with GN in a 25-cm segment of small colon. Grossly, the lesion consisted of numerous sessile to pedunculated nodules extending from the serosal surface. Histologic examination revealed the nodules to consist of fascicles of spindle-shaped cells consistent with Schwann cells, clusters of neurons, supporting enteric glial cells, and thick bands of perineurial collagen. Most of the nodules coincided with the location of the myenteric plexus and extended through the outer layer of the tunica muscularis to the serosal surface. Neuronal processes were demonstrated within the lesion with electron microscopy. With immunohistochemistry neurons were positive for neuron specific enolase (NSE) and S-100 and the Schwann cells and enteric glial cells were positive for S-100 and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). The pathogenesis of GN is poorly understood. GN, although rare, should be included in the differential diagnosis of gastrointestinal tumors in the horse.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17317798/