Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with sudden belly bleeding and low blood cells from liver tumor
By Haak, Carol E et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary emergency and critical care (San Antonio, Tex. : 2001)·2022·Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Nontraumatic hemoabdomen and pancytopenia secondary to myelolipoma in a cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 14-year-old neutered male domestic shorthair cat was brought in for emergency treatment due to suspected internal bleeding (nontraumatic hemoabdomen). An ultrasound revealed a fatty mass in the abdomen, which was later identified as a myelolipoma (a type of tumor) after surgery. Although the initial recovery went well, the cat returned four days later with a serious drop in blood cell counts (pancytopenia), which is unusual after this type of surgery. Thankfully, with proper medical care and support, the cat's blood cell levels improved, and he recovered fully.
People also search for: cat internal bleeding treatment · myelolipoma in cats · cat low blood cell count recovery
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: (1) To report an unusual etiology for nontraumatic hemoabdomen in cats, and (2) to describe onset and recovery from severe, unexpected pancytopenia seen after surgical removal of a large intra-abdominal myelolipoma. CASE SUMMARY: A 14-year-old neutered male domestic shorthair cat was presented for emergent treatment of suspected nontraumatic hemoabdomen. A hyperechoic mass, with ultrasonographic echogenicity similar to fat, was found in the right cranial abdomen and believed to be associated with the mesentery. Cytological examination of abdominal fluid identified marked extramedullary hematopoiesis within the hemorrhagic effusion. Exploratory laparotomy identified a hepatic mass, which was resected, and revealed to be a hepatic myelolipoma on histopathological examination. The patient's initial recovery was uneventful. However, continued hyporexia resulted in readmission 4 days postoperatively, at which time the patient was found to have a profound, tri-lineage pancytopenia, and cytological evidence indicative of bone marrow recovery. The pancytopenia resolved with continued medical management and supportive care. NEW OR UNIQUE INFORMATION PROVIDED: Ruptured myelolipoma is not a commonly considered differential for nontraumatic hemoabdomen in cats. Furthermore, severe pancytopenia is unexpected following surgical resection of a myelolipoma. This case provides a unique clinical presentation of both nontraumatic hemoabdomen and bone marrow recovery.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34766713/