Incidental finding on postmortem examination of an epicardial ectopic liver in a cat with concurrent feline infectious peritonitis (Felis catus)

Abstract

A 1‐year‐old, male, neutered, American domestic shorthair cat was presented for a 1‐week history of lethargy and anorexia. The presenting clinical signs and complete blood count were consistent with anaemia, requiring a packed red blood cell transfusion. Serum biochemical and virology antibody testing were consistent with a high clinical suspicion for feline infectious peritonitis. Due to the acute decline while in hospital over the following 12 hours, humane euthanasia was elected with postmortem examination. The abdominal and thoracic cavities contained serosanguinous fluid, and a mass with the gross appearance of ectopic hepatic tissue was adhered to the right ventricle within the pericardium. The mass confirmed to be hepatic on histopathology, adhered by strands of connective tissue and containing numerous portal triads, as well as central veins surrounding hepatocytes. This is the first case report to identify a solitary ectopic liver adhered to the epicardium with no anatomical connection to the liver.