Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Polycystic hepatic disease, thoracic granular cell tumor and secondary hypertrophic osteopathy in a horse.
- Journal:
- The Cornell veterinarian
- Year:
- 1993
- Authors:
- Godber, L M et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences · United States
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 13-year-old American Saddlebred mare was brought to the vet because she hadn't eaten for four days. During the exam, the vet noticed she was having trouble breathing and her legs were swollen. X-rays showed a mass in her chest and changes in her leg bones that suggested a condition called hypertrophic osteopathy, which can happen with certain tumors. Further tests revealed that she had ulcers in her esophagus and stomach, as well as multiple large cysts in her liver. A biopsy confirmed that the chest mass was a granular cell tumor, and when the mare was examined after she passed away, it was found that the liver had significant cystic changes. This type of liver disease had not been reported in horses before.
Abstract
A 13-year-old American Saddlebred mare was presented with a 4-day history of anorexia. Physical examination revealed increased inspiratory effort and bony enlargement of the distal limbs. Radiographs indicated a thoracic mass and periosteal proliferations on the distal limbs consistent with hypertrophic osteopathy. Gastric endoscopy revealed distal esophageal and gastric ulceration, and functional pyloric stenosis. Abdominal ultrasonographic examination revealed multiple large, cystic structures associated with the liver. A percutaneous biopsy indicated the thoracic mass to be a granular cell tumor. At necropsy, a large mass consisting of intercommunicating cystic structures was present confluent with the right caudal edge of the liver. Histologically these hepatic lesions were consistent with cystic hepatic disease, which has not previously been reported in the horse.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8403922/