Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc2025; 10406387251324997; doi: 10.1177/10406387251324997

Bilateral intraocular choristoma in a 2-day-old foal.

Morgan, J
·
Curtis Shaw, G
·
Weisman, J
·
Cecere, T
·
Carvallo-Chaigneau, FR

Abstract: A 2-d-old Warmblood colt was submitted for autopsy with a spectrum of bilateral ocular abnormalities. At postmortem examination, a constellation of lesions within the anterior segment included retention of ectodermal elements, compatible with choristoma. Ocular choristomas can be localized to different intraocular structures and are rare in equids. The morphologic features in our case were suggestive of abnormal corneal differentiation.

Get Full Text

Publication Date: 2025-03-11 PubMed ID: 40070042PubMed Central: PMC11904920DOI: 10.1177/10406387251324997Google Scholar: Lookup

The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.

Facebook X LinkedIn Email Copy

Summary
Cite This
Publication
Affiliations
Conflict of Interest
References
Citations

Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This paper discusses a case where a two-day-old colt was discovered to have a range of bilateral ocular abnormalities, including the rare occurrence of ocular choristomas located in different intraocular structures.

Clinical Presentation

The research revolves around a two-day-old Warmblood colt that was presented for autopsy.
The colt had a range of bilateral ocular abnormalities which appeared to be rare in equids, a family that includes horses and similar animals.

Postmortem Examination Findings

During the postmortem examination, the researchers discovered a collection of lesions within the anterior segment of the colt’s eye.
These lesions were comprised of ectodermal elements that were retained, a condition known as choristoma.

Ocular Choristomas

Ocular choristomas are rare in equids, making this case particularly noteworthy for the researchers.
These are benign tumors that occur when normal tissue grows in a place where it is not usually found. In this case, it was located in different intraocular structures within the colt’s eyes.

Abnormal Corneal Differentiation

The morphological features discovered in this case suggested an abnormal differentiation of the cornea, the transparent front part of the eye which covers the iris, pupil, and anterior chamber.
This abnormal differentiation could be connected to the observed ocular abnormalities and choristoma.

Cite This Article

APA

Morgan J, Curtis Shaw G, Weisman J, Cecere T, Carvallo-Chaigneau FR. (2025). Bilateral intraocular choristoma in a 2-day-old foal. J Vet Diagn Invest, 10406387251324997. https://doi.org/10.1177/10406387251324997

Publication

Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc

ISSN: 1943-4936

NlmUniqueID: 9011490

Country: United States

Language: English

Pages: 10406387251324997

PII: 10406387251324997

Researcher Affiliations

Morgan, Jasmine

Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.

Curtis Shaw, Gillian

Comparative Ocular Pathology Laboratory of Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.

Weisman, Jaime

Office of Laboratory Services, Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Richmond, VA, USA.

Cecere, Thomas

Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.

Carvallo-Chaigneau, Francisco R

Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

References

This article includes 27 references

Apple DJ, Naumann GOH. Malformations and anomalies of the eye. 1986:63–98.
Balland O. Canine bilateral conjunctivo-palpebral dermoid: description of two clinical cases and discussion of the relevance of the terminology. Case Rep Vet Med 2015:876141.
Barkyoumb SD, Leipold HW. Nature and cause of bilateral ocular dermoids in Hereford cattle. Vet Pathol 1984;21:316–324.
pubmed: 6730222
Barsotti G. Ocular abnormalities in healthy Standardbred foals. Vet Ophthalmol 2013;16:245–250.
pubmed: 22943566
Baumgartner WA. Bilateral intraocular glandular choristomas in a Thoroughbred foal. Vet Ophthalmol 2009;12:106–114.
pubmed: 19261166
Berkowski W. Microphthalmia, corneal dermoids, and congenital anomalies resembling Goldenhar syndrome in a cat. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2018;252:324–329.
pubmed: 29346049
Brudenall DK. Bilateral corneoconjunctival dermoids and nasal choristomas in a calf. Vet Ophthalmol 2008;11:202–206.
pubmed: 18435664
Cathelin A. Ocular dermoids in 13 cats: a multicentre retrospective study. J Feline Med Surg 2022;24:745–753.
pmc: PMC10812258pubmed: 34519242
Cho PW. Microphthalmia with multiple ocular abnormalities in a foal. Vet Ophthalmol 2024.
doi: 10.1111/vop.13254pubmed: 39013804google scholar: lookup
Chograni M. Molecular analysis of the PAX6 gene for aniridia and congenital cataracts in Tunisian families. Hum Genome Var 2014;1:14008.
pmc: PMC4785518pubmed: 27081502
Clarke LL. Congenital ocular abnormalities in free-ranging white-tailed deer. Vet Pathol 2018;55:584–590.
pubmed: 29444630
Evans HE, Sack WO. Prenatal development of domestic and laboratory mammals: growth curves, external features and selected references. Zentralbl Veterinarmed 1973;2C:11–45.
pubmed: 4745140
Gornik KR. Unilateral choristoma of the nictitating membrane in a horse. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2015;246:231–235.
pubmed: 25554940
Kaushik S. Anterior segment dysgenesis: insights into genetics and pathogenesis. Indian J Ophthalmol 2022;70:2293–2303.
pmc: PMC9426159pubmed: 35791109
Labelle AL. Ophthalmic lesions in neonatal foals evaluated for nonophthalmic disease at referral hospitals. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2011;239:486–492.
pubmed: 21838586
Makra Z, Jakab C. Bilateral corneal dermoids and eyelid malformation in a colt—a case report. Acta Vet Brno 2018;87:73–76.
Mann I. Developmental Abnormalities of the Eye. 1957:357–364.
Mann I. A rare congenital abnormality of the eye. Br J Ophthalmol 1930;14:321–330.
pmc: PMC511197pubmed: 18168882
Mansour AM. Ocular choristomas. Surv Ophthalmol 1989;33:339–358.
pubmed: 2655139
Martins B, Galera P. Embryology and anatomy of the equine eye. 2024:1178–1184.
Moon JH. Bilateral ocular osseous choristomas. Pediatr Radiol 2005;35:1145–1146.
pubmed: 16001272
Najmi H. Congenital solitary osseous choristoma of the left lateral canthus: a case report. BMC Ophthalmol 2024;24:140.
pmc: PMC10976811pubmed: 38549111
Roberts SM. Congenital ocular anomalies. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 1992;8:459–478.
pubmed: 1458324
Tamimi Y. FGF19 is a target for FOXC1 regulation in ciliary body-derived cells. Hum Mol Genet 2006;15:3229–3240.
pubmed: 17000708
Tobaigy MF. An incidental finding of intraocular choristoma in an enucleated microphthalmic globe: a histopathologic case report. Int J Surg Case Rep 2021;79:70–72.
pmc: PMC7809177pubmed: 33434772
Turner AG. Ocular conditions of neonatal foals. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 2004;20:429–440.
pubmed: 15271432
Valentini S. Assessment of intraocular measurements in neonatal foals and association with gender, laterality, and body weight: a clinical study. PLoS One 2014;9:e109491.
pmc: PMC4190080pubmed: 25296286