Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Rabbit with tracheal tumor causing lung and heart air buildup
By M. Kandefer-Gola et al.·Published in Animals·2022·View original on Semantic Scholar →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Tracheal Hemangioma Causing Lung Emphysema and Pneumopericardium in a Rabbit—A Case Report
- Species:
- rabbit
Plain-English summary
An 8-year-old female rabbit was brought to the vet because she was having trouble breathing, was lethargic, and had lost weight. Despite being treated for a respiratory infection, her condition didn’t improve, so she underwent a CT scan. The scan showed air in the pericardial sac (pneumopericardium) and lung damage (pulmonary emphysema). Unfortunately, the rabbit suffered respiratory and circulatory failure shortly after the scan and passed away. A necropsy revealed a tumor in her trachea called a hemangioma, which likely contributed to her breathing problems and the pneumopericardium.
People also search for: rabbit breathing problems · rabbit tumor treatment · why is my rabbit losing weight
Abstract
Simple Summary Rabbits have become popular pets in recent years and thus are increasingly presenting as patients to veterinary clinics. The medical examination and diagnosis of this type of patient are difficult due to the high degree of sensitivity and weakness of evident symptoms. However, in pet rabbits, several tumors and pathologic conditions have been already reported. In the present case, a female 8-year-old pet rabbit showed a severe respiratory disorder and a lack of improvement after antibiotic therapy. A computer tomography scan was performed which revealed the presence of air in the pericardial sac, a pneumopericardium. The rabbit died from circulatory and respiratory failure soon after the examination, and the necropsy revealed the presence of a tumor histologically consistent with hemangioma within the lumen of the trachea. This tumor, reducing the lumen of trachea, caused the pet rabbit to have dyspnea, and most likely predisposed the rabbit to a pneumopericardium. Tracheal hemangioma and a pneumopericardium have never been described in a pet rabbit. Moreover, this is the first report on the association of the two pathologic conditions in an animal or human. Abstract A pet rabbit (female, 8 years old, and mixed breed) with symptoms of dyspnea, apathy, and weight loss was treated for an acute respiratory infection. Due to the lack of improvement, it was referred to the Imaging Diagnostics Laboratory of the Department and Clinic of Surgery for a computer tomography scan of the thoracic cavity. The examination revealed the presence of air in the pericardial sac, a pneumopericardium, along with pulmonary emphysema. A few minutes after the examination, the rabbit developed circulatory and respiratory failure and died. Necropsy confirmed the presence of a pneumopericardium and pulmonary emphysema, and revealed, in the tracheal lumen, the presence of a tumor histologically consistent with hemangioma. A spontaneous pneumopericardium occurs when air from the respiratory system moves into the pericardial sac. This is the first case of the simultaneous occurrence of tracheal hemangioma and a pneumopericardium in a rabbit.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on Semantic Scholar: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/35892557