Mediastinaal thymoma bij een konijn met intermitterende bilaterale exoftalmie

An 8-year-old, male, castrated, medium-sized domestic rabbit presented with a bilateral, transient and stress-related exophthalmos. Thoracic radiographs revealed a large mass cranial to the heart. The rabbit was euthanized because of severe respiratory distress. At necropsy, a large well-circumscribed, kidney-shaped mass was present in the cranial mediastinum without macroscopic abnormalities in the other organs. The mass itself was composed of a mixed population of small and medium sized round cells in a fine reticular stroma. The medium sized cells and large cells stained intensely positive for cytokeratin in the cytoplasm, confirming the diagnosis of thymoma and excluding lymphoma

CT FEATURES OF A LACRIMAL GLAND TUMOR IN A DOG

Background: In the dog, neoplasms of the lacrimal gland are rare. Lacrimal cysts were also reported. Computed tomography (CT) scan findings of these lacrimal gland abnormalities have not been described in dogs. Purpose: The present report describes clinical and CT features of a lacrimal gland tumor in a dog. Methods: A 3,5 year old female intact Leonberger with a good general health status was presented with a progressive swelling at the level of the supero-temporal area of the left upper eyelid and of the bulbar conjunctiva since 3 weeks. Ocular examination revealed a slight enophthalmia and a ventronasal strabismus, the presence of a firm mass in the upper eyelid which was anteriorly well circumscribed and extending posteriorly between the globe and the orbital ligament. Findings: A CT scan pre- and post- contrast studies of the head were performed. A 3 cm hypoattenuating (+/- 10 HU) ovoid mass was observed dorsolateral to the indented left globe. This mass was well circumscribed by an unevenly thick irregular soft tissue- attenuating wall (50HU), which was strongly contrast-enhanced (150HU) and measured about 2 to 10mm in thickness. The left globe was displaced caudoventromedially. No adjacent bone lesion, or foreign body was observed. No normal left lacrimal gland was observed. These findings were suggestive of an abscess or an orbital tumor with a necrotic/cystic center; a lacrimal cyst was considered less likely because of the unevenness and the thickness of the wall. Complete surgical ablation was done by a modified lateral orbitotomy. Histopathology revealed a mixed benign tumor of the lacrimal gland and a lymphocytic necrotic adenitis. Six months postoperatively no recurrence is noted and the tear production is 15mm/min. Conclusion: The lacrimal gland is located dorsolateral to the globe and produces tears. In human medicine, a wide range of lacrimal gland pathologies were described and assessed by computed imaging techniques. Pleomorphic adenomas (mixed benign tumor) could reveal irregular bone erosion and could undergo malignant transformation. In dogs, lacrimal cysts were described as thin walled structures.4 Only few articles reported lacrimal gland tumor. To the authors knowledge, CT findings of a lacrimal gland tumor have not been described previously. In conclusion, lacrimal gland tumor should be included in the differential diagnosis of a firm ovoid cystic/necrotic mass dorsolateral to the orbit

Unusual presentation of a mesenchymal eyelid hamartoma and an update of the incidence of periocular hamartomas in dogs

peer reviewedA mesenchymal hamartoma in the dorsomedial eyelid of a Staffordshire bull terrier and the incidence and histological features of twenty-two canine mesenchymal periocular hamartoma cases are reported. The archives of the “Comparative Ocular Pathology Laboratory” of Wisconsin (USA) were searched for canine mesenchymal periocular hamartoma. Signalment, clinical appearance, location and histological findings are summarized for twenty-two dogs, containing fourteen different breeds, between four and fourteen years old. Fifteen hamartomas were located at the lateral canthus. Histologically, they consisted of fully differentiated fibrous tissue interspersed with adipose tissue, with bundles of skeletal/smooth muscle in ten cases, and peripheral nerve tissue in two cases. No mitotic figures were noted. Mesenchymal hamartomas may present as a subcutaneous, subconjunctival or orbital mass. Although they have a predisposition to occur at the lateral canthus, they may be located elsewhere on the eyelids or in the orbit

Neuromuscular blockade as part of an anaesthetic protocol for cataract surgery in an alpaca

peer reviewedA six-month-old alpaca was presented to the veterinary teaching hospital of the University of Liège (Belgium) with a bilateral cataract. A decision was made to perform bilateral cataract surgery after an ocular ultrasound and electroretinogram were performed to assess the posterior segment and retinal function, respectively. As a premedication, the alpaca received xylazine, butorphanol and midazolam intramuscularly. Anaesthesia was induced subsequently with ketamine and midazolam intravenously and maintained with isoflurane on oxygen/air mixture. The alpaca was mechanically ventilated during surgery. Neuromuscular blockade was induced and maintained with cis-atracurium intravenously. The dose of cis-atracurium was permanently adapted using a peripheral nerve stimulator. This case report brings new knowledge regarding the use and dosage of cis-atracurium in alpacas

Granulomateuze meningoencefalomyelitis bij de hond /

Diss. dierenart

Genetic aspects of corneal sequestra in a population of Persian, Himalayan and exotic cats

Simple Summary Corneal sequestrum is a common eye disease in Persian, Himalayan and exotic cats. It is a brown stain on the cornea that can be painful and often requires surgery for full recovery. The cause of this disease is unknown. One hypothesis is that genetic factors influence the disease, but there are no data to support this in the scientific literature. In this study, the influence of genetics on this disease was investigated on the basis of clinical and pedigree data from a cattery. Kittens of some dams in this cattery turned out to have a higher risk of corneal sequestra than kittens of other dams, indicating that genetics indeed play a role. The disease also has a high heritability, which implies that by selecting the right breeding animals, breeders can reduce the risk of corneal sequestra in the offspring. DNA analysis of some of the cats from the cattery could not link the disease to a specific region in the DNA, so it is possible that many different genes in different DNA regions are involved in the development of corneal sequestra. Corneal sequestra are ophthalmic lesions that are remarkably common in Persian, Himalayan and exotic cats. In this study, the genetic aspects of this disease were investigated in a population of cats originating from a single cattery. Odds ratios were calculated for parents with affected offspring. The heritability of (owner-reported) corneal sequestra was estimated with a Markov chain Monte Carlo procedure. Well-phenotyped cases and controls were used for a genome-wide association study. Data from 692 cats originating from the cattery, of which 61 were affected, were used. Cats from two specific mothers had significantly higher odds of developing corneal sequestra, but no significant effect of the fathers was found (after correction for the mothers). The heritability of corneal sequestra was estimated to be 0.96. A genome-wide association study with 14 cases and 10 controls did not reveal an associated chromosomal region. The large effect that genetic factors had on the development of corneal sequestra in this study suggests that selective breeding could be an effective way to reduce the prevalence of this condition in these cat breeds