Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat showing signs of heat after spay - could it be ovarian remnant
By Fontes, Gabrielle S & McCarthy, Robert J·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2020·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Ovarian remnant syndrome in a cat with ovarian tissue in the omentum.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old spayed female domestic shorthair cat was brought in for recurring heat cycles after her spay surgery. Despite a normal physical exam, tests showed she had leftover ovarian tissue, which can cause these symptoms. During surgery, the vet found and removed small nodules containing ovarian tissue from the omentum, a fold of tissue in the abdomen. After the surgery, the cat's heat cycles stopped, and her hormone levels returned to normal for a spayed cat.
People also search for: cat heat cycles after spay · ovarian remnant syndrome cat · spayed cat still in heat treatment
Abstract
CASE DESCRIPTION: A 2-year-old spayed female domestic shorthair cat was evaluated for recurring estrous behavior after ovariohysterectomy and 2 subsequent exploratory laparotomies. CLINICAL FINDINGS: Physical examination revealed no abnormalities. A serum sample tested positive for anti-Müllerian hormone and had a progesterone concentration consistent with the presence of an ovarian remnant. Results of abdominal ultrasonographic examination suggested presence of a slightly hyperechoic mass caudal to the left kidney. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: Exploratory laparotomy was performed when the cat was showing estrous behavior. Tissues at the right and left ovarian pedicles and the uterine stump appeared grossly normal but were excised and submitted for histologic examination. Two small nodules associated with the omentum were removed, and histologic examination results for one of these nodules indicated ovarian tissue with secondary and graafian follicles. Clinical signs of estrus resolved after surgery, and hormonal assay results were within ranges expected for an ovariectomized cat. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: To the authors' knowledge, the present case represented the first clinical report of ovarian remnant syndrome in a cat or dog in which persistent ovarian tissue was not found at the site of an ovarian pedicle. Our findings emphasized the importance of exploring the entire abdominal cavity when evaluating a patient for possible ovarian remnant tissue and confirming the excision of ovarian remnant tissue by histologic assessment.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32856997/