Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Lipid-rich abdominal fluid mimicking chyloabdomen in a horse.
- Journal:
- Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc
- Year:
- 2026
- Authors:
- Alonso, Flavio H et al.
- Affiliation:
- Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital · United States
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 31-year-old Arabian gelding was brought in with severe belly pain, known as colic. Tests showed that he had a lot of fat-rich fluid in his abdomen, which is unusual and can look like a condition called chyloabdomen (where lymph fluid builds up). After a few days, the fluid became clear, suggesting that the condition might have been temporary. Unfortunately, despite treatment, the horse developed trouble breathing due to swelling in his throat and had to be put to sleep. An examination after death revealed a large fatty tumor in his abdomen and severe stomach ulcers, but no fluid was found at that time.
Abstract
We report here a case of lipid-rich abdominal fluid in a 31-y-old Arabian gelding with acute colic. Abdominocentesis yielded opaque, yellow-to-orange peritoneal fluid with an elevated triglyceride concentration (42 g/L, RI: <0.10 g/L; fluid:serum triglyceride ratio 11.4, RI: <1.0). A second abdominocentesis performed 3 d later revealed clear fluid, suggesting transient chyloabdomen. Despite medical management, the horse developed respiratory distress secondary to pharyngeal edema and was euthanized. Autopsy identified a large omental lipoma and severe ulcerative gastritis, but no effusion. We speculate that necrosis of the lipoma might have contributed to the lipid-rich fluid, although definitive evidence was lacking.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41263335/