Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Thickened small intestine muscle in cats with lymphoma and IBD
By Daniaux, Lise A et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2014·1William R Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Ultrasonographic thickening of the muscularis propria in feline small intestinal small cell T-cell lymphoma and inflammatory bowel disease.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A cat with gastrointestinal issues was diagnosed with either small cell T-cell lymphoma or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) after showing signs of vomiting and weight loss. An ultrasound revealed that the walls of her intestines were significantly thicker than those of healthy cats, indicating a serious condition. The study found that both lymphoma and IBD caused similar thickening in the intestines, making it challenging to distinguish between the two based solely on imaging. Treatment options typically include medications to manage symptoms and reduce inflammation, but the specific outcome for this cat wasn't detailed in the study.
People also search for: cat vomiting weight loss · feline lymphoma treatment · inflammatory bowel disease in cats
Abstract
Gastrointestinal lymphoma is the most common form of lymphoma in the cat. More recently, an ultrasonographic pattern associated with feline small cell T-cell gastrointestinal lymphoma has been recognized as a diffuse thickening of the muscularis propria of the small intestine. This pattern is also described with feline inflammatory bowel disease. To evaluate the similarities between the diseases, we quantified the thickness of the muscularis propria layer in the duodenum, jejunum and ileum of 14 cats affected by small cell T-cell lymphoma and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and 19 healthy cats. We found a significantly increased thickness of the muscularis propria in cats with lymphoma and IBD compared with healthy cats. The mean thickness of the muscularis propria in cats with lymphoma or IBD was twice the thickness of that of healthy cats, and was the major contributor to significant overall bowel wall thickening in the duodenum and jejunum. A muscularis to submucosa ratio >1 is indicative of an abnormal bowel segment. Colic lymph nodes in cats with lymphoma were increased in size compared with healthy cats. In cats with gastrointestinal lymphoma and histologic transmural infiltration of the small intestines, colic or jejunal lymph nodes were rounded, increased in size and hypoechoic.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23900499/