Thoracoabdominal myelolipomas and carcinoma in a lovebird (Agapornis sp.)

Removal of a Tracheal Myelolipoma in a Cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus) by Surgical Resection and Anastomosis

A 17-year-old, female cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus) was presented for a 1-week history of respiratory distress. The clinical signs were consistent with tracheal obstruction; therefore, an air sac cannula was placed to reduce respiratory compromise. Radiographic images of the patient revealed a round, intraluminal, soft tissue opacity in the trachea. The obstruction could be visualized via transtracheal illumination, but tracheoscopy was not feasible because of the size of the patient. Attempts to manually extirpate the obstruction were unsuccessful, and the trachea subsequently avulsed in the midcervical region. Tracheal resection and anastomosis was performed, and the obstruction was removed with the associated tracheal ring. The patient recovered uneventfully and was doing well at follow-up evaluations at 9 days, 24 days, and 10 months after the surgical procedure. The histologic diagnosis was ossifying myelolipoma arising from bone marrow within the tracheal ring.

Systemic Clinical and Metabolic Diseases

Like other animals pet and companion birds are also prone to systemic illness. This is presented in the form of certain clinical signs and symptoms which is known as “ sick-bird syndrome.”

Review of primary extra-adrenal myelolipoma of the thorax

Extra-adrenal myelolipoma happens in adrenal glands, and the thoracic location is extremely unusual. This is the first study involving 36 of patients with thoracic myelolipoma of English literature by investigating the clinical data, pathologic findings, radiological manifestation, and treatment strategy of all patients. Imageologic diagnosis including computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and positron emission tomography/computed tomography scans is useful to identify the feature of extra-adrenal myelolipoma. Pathologic analysis is an effective method to clarify the diagnosis. In view of the potential progressive enlargement of the lesion, most myelolipomas are removed by surgery, and this operation has frequently been accomplished by using video-assisted thoracic surgery.

Intraocular myelolipoma in a dog

An 8-year-old Scottish terrier was presented with a red and painful right eye. Slitlamp biomicroscopy and ocular ultrasound demonstrated the presence of a large mass in the anterior chamber. Enucleation was performed one week after initial presentation. Histological examination of the eye revealed a relatively well-delineated mass distorting the dorsal iris and occupying most of the anterior chamber. The tumor was composed of fully differentiated adipose tissue and normal hematopoietic cells of the three major blood-forming elements. These findings were most consistent with the diagnosis of an anterior chamber myelolipoma distorting the iris. To the author's knowledge, this is the first report of an intraocular myelolipoma in any species.

Hepatic Myelolipoma with systemic amyloidosis in a goose (Anser cygnoides domesticus)

We report here a case of hepatic myelolipoma with systemic amyloidosis in a goose (Anser cygnoides domesticus), which died suddenly following the short history of weakness and greenish diarrhea. At necropsy, multiple yellowish-white foci were observed on the surface of the prominently enlarged liver. Histologically, there were multiple foci of adipose tissue admixed with myeloid elements in various proportions in the liver as well as amyloid deposition in several organs including the liver, intestine, spleen, kidney, and ovary. Ultrastructurally, erythroblast-like cells and myelocytes, which showed various stages of differentiation, were observed in the foci of the liver. These findings shared characteristics of hepatic myelolipoma which is very rare in birds.

Pathology of aging psittacines

Aging processes leading to specific organ problems are not obvious in aging psittacines. In general, birds live long and age slowly despite their high metabolic rates and very high total lifetime energy expenditures. Most pathologic processes seen in older parrots are generally not specific for aging because they are seen in young birds as well. Pathologic processes that have a tendency to occur more in older psittacines are atherosclerosis and repeated injury processes, such as chronic pulmonary interstitial fibrosis, pneumoconiosis, liver fibrosis, and lens cataracts. Also, some neoplasms are more often seen at an older age.

Tumors of pet birds

Neoplastic diseases are becoming more than a postmortem diagnosis due to the increasing knowledge base and improving quality of avian medicine. The expectation for better health care demands a diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy options. However, the published information regarding prognosis and therapy of specific neoplasms remains limited in avian medicine. With each case report or study that provides this information, there is an improvement in the level of care we can offer our companion avian species. This review will cover some basic information about specific tumor types and will reference the more recent reports in the avian literature. It is not intended to be all encompassing.

Metastatic subcutaneous sarcoma and abdominal carcinoma in a peach-faced lovebird (Agapornis roseicollis)

A 2-year-old male peach-faced lovebird (Agapornis roseicollis) with a subcutaneous sarcoma on the right carpus was treated by surgical amputation. Three months after surgery, lung metastases causing clinical signs of dyspnoea were diagnosed radiographically and subsequently the bird was euthanased. At necropsy, a tumour firmly attached to the right testis, kidney and lung was found, and several tumours were present in the lung parenchyma. Histopathology revealed a mesenchymal growth pattern in the carpal subcutis and lung neoplasms, and an infiltrating epithelial pattern in the abdominal one. Immunohistochemistry for muscle actin, keratin, neurone-specific enolase and chromogranin confirmed the different cell lineage of the neoplasms, thus leading to the diagnosis of a fibrosarcoma in the subcutis with pulmonary metastases, and a carcinoma of indeterminate origin in the cranial abdomen.