Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Spectacled owl with neck mucocele treated by surgery
By Huynh, Minh et al.·Published in Journal of avian medicine and surgery·2014·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Mucocele in a spectacled owl (Pusilatrix perspicillata).
- Species:
- bird
Plain-English summary
A 6-year-old female spectacled owl was brought to the vet because of a soft, fluid-filled lump under her neck that had grown larger over three days. Tests showed that the mass was filled with clear fluid and contained some blood cells and other immune cells. The vet surgically removed the mass, which was found to be a mucocele, a type of cyst from the esophageal gland. After the surgery, the owl recovered well, and follow-up checks six months later showed she was doing fine.
People also search for: spectacled owl neck lump · bird cyst treatment · owl surgery recovery
Abstract
A 6-year-old breeding female spectacled owl (Pusilatrix perspicillata) was presented for a soft, fluid-filled, spherical mass under the neck that had been increasing in size over the previous 3 days. Results of a fine-needle aspirate of the mass showed clear, pale-yellow fluid with a total protein of 12.6 g/L. Cytologic examination revealed erythrocytes, moderate numbers of heterophils, and numerous foamy mononuclear cells against a mucoid background. Macroscopically, the mass appeared to be attached firmly to the esophagus. The mass was excised surgically and submitted for histopathologic examination. The lesion comprised a circumscribed, fibrous-encapsulated multilocular cyst, lined by plump, goblet-type, cuboidal epithelial cells lying in abundant mucinous matrix. Findings were consistent with a mucocele of the esophageal mucosal gland. Excision was considered curative based on follow-up 6 months after initial presentation. To our knowledge, this is the first report of this condition in Strigiformes and indicates that mucocele should be included in the differential diagnosis of cervical masses in birds.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24881153/