A case report: Null-cell cardiac lymphoma in an English bulldog.

This case report describes a novel example of an extranodal null-type lymphoma in the myocardium of a middle-aged English bulldog who presented with signs of right heart failure. An echocardiogram found, in addition to the pericardial effusion, thickened right and left ventricular free walls and the interventricular septum. The right ventricular free wall myocardium had multinodular lesions, suspicious for infiltrative disease. The owner elected humane euthanasia, and permission for necropsy was obtained. Multifocal left and right ventricular nodules and an incidental aortic root mass were detected, the latter of which was later confirmed as a chemodectoma. Microscopically, the myocardial nodules were sheets of round cells consistent with a high-grade lymphoma. Neoplastic cells were not immunoreactive to CD3 (T-cell) or CD20 and CD79a (B-cell), Mum-1 (plasma cell), CD117 (mast cell), or CD18 (histiocyte). These findings are consistent with a high-grade, null-cell-type lymphoma.

Diagnosis of pancreatic disease in feline platynosomosis.

Objectives Platynosomum species are cat-specific parasitic trematodes that parasitize the biliary ducts and gall bladder. Due to the common connection to the major duodenal papilla of the pancreas and common bile ducts in addition to the periductal proximity of the pancreas, it is possible that platynosomosis could cause pancreatitis. The objective of this study was to determine whether platynosomosis, a commonly diagnosed parasitic disease in cats on St Kitts, has any association with pancreatic disease. Methods To investigate this possibility, the pancreas of free-roaming cats with naturally acquired platynosomosis were evaluated via ultrasound, serum concentrations of feline pancreatic lipase (fPL), cobalamin, folate and feline trypsin-like immunoreactivity (fTLI) and histopathology. Twenty free-roaming, young adult, feral cats, positive for feline immunodeficiency virus, and diagnosed with Platynosomum species infection via fecal analysis were recruited. The liver, biliary system and pancreas were evaluated via ultrasonography during a short duration anesthesia. Serum concentrations of fPL, fTLI, folate and cobalamin were measured. Sections of the right limb, left limb and body of the pancreas were evaluated histopathologically using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stain. Results None of the cats had sufficient criteria to fulfill the ultrasonographic diagnosis of pancreatitis. One cat had an elevated fPL concentration in the range consistent with pancreatitis. Four cats had cobalamin deficiencies and 11 had abnormal folate concentration. The fTLI concentration was equivocal for the diagnosis of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in one cat. With a single exception, histopathology changes, when present (n = 12), were mild, non-specific and predominantly characterized by lymphocytic infiltrates and fibrosis. The exception was a cat that presented a chronic interstitial and eosinophilic pancreatitis of slightly increased severity, likely the result of platynosomosis. Conclusions and relevance The results of this study suggest that platynosomosis rarely induces pancreatic damage in cats. With only one exception, chronic pancreatitis diagnosed in cats with fluke-induced cholangitis and cholangiohepatitis was subtle and interpreted as an incidental background lesion unrelated to platynosomosis.

Gallbladder mucocoele: A review.

Gallbladder mucocoele (GBM) is an abnormal, intraluminal accumulation of inspissated bile and/or mucous within the gallbladder. Older, small- to medium-breed dogs seem to be predisposed, but no sex predilection has been identified. Clinical signs are often non-specific and include vomiting, lethargy, anorexia, abdominal pain, icterus and polyuria-polydipsia. Results of a complete blood count may be unremarkable, but serum biochemistry usually reveals increased liver enzymes. The ultrasonographic appearance is diagnostic and well described in the literature. Surgical intervention for the treatment of GBM remains the therapeutic gold standard, with short- and long-term survival for biliary surgery being 66%. The worst outcome is seen in those dogs requiring cholecystoenterostomy. With GBM becoming an apparently increasingly common cause of extrahepatic biliary disease in canines, it is essential that clinicians become familiar with the current literature pertaining to this condition. Numerous predisposing factors are highlighted in this review article and the role of certain endocrinopathies (e.g. hyperadrenocorticism and hypothyroidism) in the development of GBM is touched upon. Furthermore, the aetiopathogenesis of this disease is discussed with reference to the latest literature. Cholecystectomy remains the treatment of choice, but other options are considered based on a current literature review.