Keratoacanthoma of the spectacle in a Boa constrictor

Abstract

AbstractAnimal studied A Royal Boa constrictor presented with retained spectacle of the right eye and a tumor‐like appearance of the left eye.Procedure The snake was euthanized, the head fixed in buffered formaldehyde, and histologic examination of both spectacles and both eyes performed.Results The left orbital rim encircled a solid, scaly mass projecting 5–6 mm from the spectacular area. A cup‐shaped tumor with a central keratin plug was observed microscopically. There was a thickening of the proliferating squamous epithelium, with squamous eddies and single cell keratinization. A few mitotic figures were seen in the basal layers but the tumor showed no infiltrative growth. The same morphology was observed in the right eye but to a lesser extent. The remaining parts of the eye were normal.Conclusions The diagnosis was keratoacanthoma and this is the first reported keratoacanthoma of the spectacle in a reptile. Keratoacanthoma should be considered as a differential diagnosis when trying to remove retained spectacles from a reptile eye.