Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Congenital polyalveolar lobe in three foals.
- Journal:
- Journal of comparative pathology
- Year:
- 1996
- Authors:
- Hong, C B
- Affiliation:
- University of Kentucky · United States
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
Three female Thoroughbred foals were found to have a rare lung condition called congenital polyalveolar lobe, which is a type of lung growth. The first foal was born at full term but sadly died shortly after birth. The second foal was aborted at seven months of pregnancy, and the third foal had to be delivered early at ten months due to serious fluid buildup in the amniotic sac and abdomen. In all cases, the right lung was affected, forming a mass that pushed into the left side of the chest, causing the left lung to be small and compressed. The treatment details are not mentioned, but the outcomes for the foals were not positive, with one dying shortly after birth and the others being lost during pregnancy.
Abstract
Three cases of congenital polyalveolar lobe (pulmonary hamartoma) were diagnosed in female Thoroughbred foals. Foal 1 was born at full term but died shortly afterwards. Foal 2 was aborted at the seventh month of gestation. Parturition was induced at the tenth month of gestation in foal 3 because it developed hydrops of the amnion and ascites. In all three foals, the polyalveolar lobe occurred on the right side and affected the entire right lung. In each case, the right lung formed a tumour-like mass, and expanded into the left chest cavity. The lung masses were pink to dark red and spongy to rubbery, with marked lobular patterns on the pleural and cut surfaces. The left lung was compressed and small. The right and left lungs weighed 0.9-6.3 kg and 80 g-0.3 kg, respectively. Microscopically, the polyalveolar lobe consisted of normal alveoli, bronchioli and blood vessels, but the alveolus:artery ratio was greater than normal. In the polyalveolar lobe of two foals the numbers of alveoli per artery were 65.2 and 52.5; in contrast, the corresponding values for three control lungs were 26.9, 26.5 and 27.6. Chronic passive congestion with generalized oedema was observed in foals 2 and 3.
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: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8878754/