The case of a five-year-old spayed female French Bulldog with a mass in the right third eyelid is described. Ultrasonography and computed tomography were used to identify this pathological lesion and to visualise its morphology and extent. The mass was removed and submitted for histopathological examination. A final diagnosis of adenocarcinoma of the nictitans gland was made. In the discussion we compare the presented case with the available literature. Only limited information is published about this pathology.

ABSTRACT:A 6-year-old pet female degu (Octodon degus), in good body condition, was referred to a clinic with the presence of a large tumour in the anogenital area. The mass was bluntly dissected from the surrounding skin and muscles. The medial part of the tumour was associated with the vaginal wall which was also excised with 2 mm margins. No visible changes on the inner vaginal surface were seen. On gross examination the surface of the mass was glossy and pink-coloured; the cut surface was grey to red with greyish-white foci in a part of the mass. Histopathological examination showed a tumour composed of pleomorphic spindle to ovoid cells forming interlacing bundles and variably dense fibrous connective tissue separated by streams of neoplastic cells. Several smaller foci of coagulation necrosis were present within the tumour tissue. The neoplastic cells exhibited a high mitotic index, which ranged from six to seven mitoses per 10 high power fields. By immunohistochemical examination the positivity of neoplastic cells was demonstrated with smooth muscle actin (SMA) and vimentin, while no immunoreactivity was acquired for cytokeratins. Based on morphological features of the tumour and immunohistochemical examination a diagnosis of vaginal leiomyosarcoma was made. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a vaginal leiomyosarcoma in a degu.

A British cat was presented with generalized fatty infiltration of the heart compromising both ventricles and atria, resembling arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. Due to the nature and progression of the disease, the final diagnosis was achieved at necropsy. According to our knowledge only a few cases of fatty infiltration of the heart have been reported in cats, this being the first in which the pathological findings were seen in both atria.Keywords: lipomatosis; fatty infiltration; heart; cat Lipomatosis of the heart is a rare clinical condition in cats, and has only been described sporadically in the literature (Fox et al., 2000;Harvey et al., 2006), being mostly an incidental finding at necropsy in obese and elderly cats (Fox et al., 2000). In contrast, in humans it is a very common finding, present at approximately 50% of necropsies (Pantanowitz, 2001;Lucena et al., 2007), and seems to reflect the physiological process of involution that occurs with aging (Pantanowitz, 2001, Tansey et al., 2005Poirier et al., 2006). The condition shows histopathological features that are similar between species; however, the primary causes remain undetermined. Lipomatosis of the heart has been primarily observed in arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) and as a secondary finding in various conditions such as inherited muscular dystrophies, reparation tissue after injury (Une et al., 1998;Lucena et al., 2007;Schmitt et al., 2007), lipomatous hypertrophy, lipomas and liposarcomas, chronic ischemia, myocarditis, or associated with obesity and alcohol abuse (Tansey et al., 2005). The purpose of this report is to present the pathological changes caused by the development of massive heart lipomatosis in an adult cat. Case descriptionA 15-month old castrated female British Shorthair cat weighing 4 kg was admitted to the Clinic of Dog and Cat Diseases at the University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic. In the two days prior to being admitted, the patient was dyspnoeic, for which it was receiving high doses of furosemide. During the preliminary clinical examination the cat presented with stupor, tachycardia, tachypnoea and hypothermia. Shortly after the cat collapsed and suffered a cardiorespiratory stroke, to which the owner declined resuscitation. At necropsy the cat's body condition seemed to be very good. The abdominal cavity contained approximately 50 ml of yellowish effusion. Hepatic and splenic congestion were also present. In the thoracic cavity approximately 100 ml of yellowish effusion was present. Pulmonary congestion and oedema were evident. There were neither pericardial defects nor vascular anomalies. The heart showed generalized whitish discoloration and the right ventricle was markedly dilated. Other organs were grossly normal. For the histopathological examination, sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and Van Gieson's stain for connective tissue. The kidneys showed chronic glomerulonephritis and proteinuria. The liver, spleen and thy...

The presented case describes an interesting manifestation of epitheliotropic cutaneous lymphoma with formation of nodal and distant metastases in an 8-year-old cocker spaniel. Cutaneous lesions included multiple hypotrichous to alopetic foci, scales, erythematous plaques and multiple cutaneous nodules, often with superficial ulceration. The lesions were present predominantly on the neck, thorax, abdomen and hind legs. Clinically, the dog showed lethargy and there was an inappetence and a mild dyspnoe. Subsequent findings were generalized lymphadenopathy, fever, pallor of mucous membranes and tachycardia. Smear impression of cutaneous nodules contained degenerated neutrophils with phagocytized cocci and macrophages. Cytological examination of nodules (FNA) showed a predominantly round cell population, with a compound of histiocytoid cells mixed with cells of inflammatory infiltration. Histopathological examination of the skin was performed. There was infiltrate of large neoplastic round cells in the superficial and deep dermis, morphologically resembling histiocytes. In some tissue sections the neoplastic infiltrate was present only in the superficial dermis, composed of medium-sized lymphocytes with hyperchromatic round, oval to indented nuclei 1.5 red cells in diameter and a small amount of eosinophilic cytoplasm. Focal exulceration, formation of Pautrier’s microabscesses in epidermis, and in some sections subepidermal and intraepidermal vesiculopustules and intraepidermal vesicles were present. Neoplastic infiltrate was CD3, CD18 and vimentin positive. Examination for CD79 and CD117 was negative. MHC II positivity was found only focally in cells of inflammatory infiltration in superficial dermis. Diagnosis of epitheliotropic cutaneous lymphoma (mycosis fungoides) was carried out. The response to the therapy of the disease was poor and the dog died two months after diagnosis. Necropsy revealed generalized lymphadenopathy, several white, fat-like nodules in heart muscle, lungs, esophagus and stomach, and mild hepatomegaly and splenomegaly. Multiple white disseminated foci were found in the spleen. Histopathological examination showed round cell, CD3 positive neoplastic infiltrate in heart, lungs, spleen, liver, lymph nodes, esophagus and stomach, morphologically corresponding with neoplastic infiltrate found in skin.

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A case of a nine-year-old, intact female, American Bulldog with a heart mass is described. Echocardiography was used to identify this pathological lesion. Part of the mass and pericardial sac were surgically removed for histopathological examination. A final diagnosis of neuroendocrine carcinoma was diagnosed by necropsy and histopathology. To the author’s knowledge, there is very limited information in the literature about this pathology.