Polyneuropathies can have a variety of clinical presentations and tend to be rare in cats. In this report we describe a 6-year-old domestic shorthair cat with an acute and rapidly progressive onset of lower motor neuron and sensory signs affecting the spinal and cranial nerves. Histopathological examination revealed moderate-to-severe multifocal inflammatory infiltrates at the ventral and dorsal nerve roots, and dorsal spinal ganglia at the level of the L4 and cauda equina. The type and severity of inflammation varied between nerve roots, being composed of mainly neutrophils in some and mainly lymphocytes and macrophages in others. Immunohistochemistry showed a combination of neutrophils, macrophages and lymphocytes infiltrating the nerve roots and ganglia. The majority of the lymphocytes were T lymphocytes; only a few B lymphocytes were seen. Neurons within the affected ganglia showed central chromatolysis and necrosis. Wallerian-like degeneration and demyelination were observed in the nerve roots. A sensory and motor polyganglioradiculoneuritis was diagnosed. An autoimmune process similar to the acute motor and sensory neuropathy subtype of Guillain-Barré syndrome in humans or an infection by an unidentified agent were considered most likely.
A 12-year-old African lioness from a safari park presented with abdominal discomfort and severe jaundice. Postmortem examination revealed a tortuous gallbladder, divided internally by thin septa into multiple chambers. Microscopically, multiple sacculations separated by septa of loose fibrovascular tissue were seen. These sacculations had intercommunicating openings and pouch-like endings. The gallbladder epithelium showed diffuse coagulative necrosis, but numerous cystic formations were visible. Neither thickening of the gallbladder wall nor inflammatory infiltrates were identified. The lesion was diagnosed as multiseptate gallbladder, a rare congenital malformation described in human beings.
A case of ischaemic strangulation of the small intestine caused by a haemangiopericytoma in a 12‐year‐old horse is reported. An encapsulated, 4‐cm diameter mass was located in the mesentery adjacent to the wall of the ileum resulting in an ileal obstruction and a subsequent small intestinal volvulus. Surgical management of the case was performed and the horse was discharged from the hospital with no further complications and no recurrence during a 2‐year follow‐up period. After histopathological and immunohistochemical evaluation, the mass was characterised as a haemangiopericytoma. The only report of a haemangiopericytoma in a horse describes a mass located in the eyelid. In humans and dogs, haemangiopericytomas can be malignant with local recurrences after excision and metastasis. In our case, the tumour caused severe ileal obstruction, but no distant metastases were found, and there were no clinical signs of recurrence for a 2‐year follow‐up period after surgery.
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