Case Report: Systemic reactive angioendotheliomatosis in a young cat with a history of esophageal strictures and balloon dilations

Abstract

A 3.3-year-old castrated male domestic shorthair cat presented to the emergency service with neurologic signs. The cat had an extensive medical history, including previous treatment for esophageal strictures via balloon dilation. Diagnostics revealed a coagulopathy, a highly regenerative anemia, and marked thrombocytopenia. The cat’s neurologic signs progressed rapidly, culminating in seizures and cardiac arrest. A necropsy revealed findings consistent with feline systemic reactive angioendotheliomatosis (FSRA), a rare, idiopathic, multisystemic, and uniformly fatal disease. To date, only 16 cases of FSRA have been reported in the veterinary literature, and very few provide detailed descriptions of attempted treatments. It is theorized that repeated tissue trauma from procedures, infection, and chronic inflammation may have triggered a more systemic response, contributing to the development of FSRA in this cat. Further investigation is needed to better understand this rare disease.