Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Gastric adenocarcinoma in a horse with portal vein metastasis and thrombosis: a novel cause of hepatic encephalopathy.
- Journal:
- Veterinary pathology
- Year:
- 2006
- Authors:
- Patton, K M et al.
- Affiliation:
- College of Veterinary Medicine · United States
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 17-year-old Quarter horse mare was examined after showing signs of confusion, mood swings, and blindness for three days. Tests revealed high levels of ammonia in her blood and spinal fluid, which can affect brain function. A thorough examination after her death showed a tumor in her stomach, several tumors in her liver, and a large blood clot in the portal vein, which is a major blood vessel. The findings indicated that the horse had gastric adenocarcinoma (a type of stomach cancer) that had spread to her liver and caused serious brain issues. Unfortunately, the treatment was not successful, and the horse passed away.
Abstract
A 17-year-old Quarter horse mare was referred to Cornell University for postmortem examination after 72 hours of encephalopathy that consisted of depression, mania, and blindness. A plasma sample and cerebral spinal fluid demonstrated hyperammonemia. Gross necropsy examination findings included the following: mild icterus, a transmural mass in the glandular portion of the gastric fundus, multiple masses throughout the liver, and a large tumor thrombus in the portal vein. Microscopically, the gastric mass, hepatic masses, and portal vein thrombus were composed of similar neoplastic epithelial cells that formed variably sized acini and branching cords separated by a dense desmoplastic stroma. Throughout the cerebral frontal cortex were numerous Alzheimer type II astrocytes. Hepatic encephalopathy was caused by gastric adenocarcinoma, with metastasis to the liver and the portal vein. The clinical and pathologic lesions from this unique case, as well as hyperammonemia and portal vein thrombosis in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy, are discussed.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16847002/