A case of colonic-colonic intussusception in a dog secondary to lymphoma treated with colonic resection and anastomosis.

Abstract

A 2-year-old castrated male Great Dane crossbreed dog was presented with a history of diarrhea and suspected intussusception. Abdominal ultrasound revealed a colonic-colonic intussusception. The gastrointestinal tract was explored, and an approximately 5-cm intussusception was discovered mid-colon. All other gastrointestinal structures were normal in appearance. The intussusception could not be reduced manually. A colonic resection and anastomosis were performed together with a left-sided incisional colopexy. The dog recovered from surgery and histopathology revealed the intussusception to be secondary to large cell transmural lymphoma. Sections from the surgical margins revealed proliferation of fibrovascular tissue along the serosal surface segmentally, but no neoplastic cells were identified. The dog was subsequently treated with chemotherapy consisting of doxorubicin and prednisone. No evidence of disease recurrence was noted on ultrasound 9 months after surgery. Approximately 2 years after surgery, the dog is noted to be clinically normal at home with no abnormal findings on physical examination. A complete blood (cell) count and chemistry obtained at this time revealed no significant abnormalities besides mild azotemia. Additional restaging was declined by the owner.