Imaging features and decision making in retrobulbar neuroendocrine tumours in horses–case report and review of literature.
Abstract: A 25-year-old Haflinger gelding was evaluated for chronic-progressive unilateral exophthalmos. Ultrasonographic investigation and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging revealed a retrobulbar space-occupying mass to be the cause of eyeball displacement. Ultrasonographic features were not sufficient to specify the type and extension of the lesion. Magnetic resonance scans, however, clearly displayed an infiltrative intracranial growth pattern but sparing of orbital soft tissues. Based on MR appearance, tentative diagnosis of an orbital soft tissue neoplasia was made and subsequently confirmed by histopathological investigation. The latter revealed a poorly differentiated neuroendocrine tumour. Retrospectively, MR changes resembled those seen with neuroendocrine neoplasms of the human skull. Even if histopathology remains to be elucidated by cytological or histological inspection, MR imaging of equine orbital tumours should provide the criteria necessary for evaluating the therapeutic options and associated prognosis.
Publication Date: 2007-07-26 PubMed ID: 17650150DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0442.2007.00955.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The research evaluates the use of imaging techniques, specifically magnetic resonance imaging, in diagnosing and studying a case of retrobulbar neuroendocrine tumour in a horse.
Study Subject and Initial Findings
- The study revolves around a 25-year-old Haflinger gelding (a breed of horse) that came in with a chronic and progressively worsening condition of excessive bulging of the eyes (unilateral exophthalmos).
Examination Methods and Results
- The initial examination used ultrasound imaging, which revealed a mass behind the eyeball that caused the observed displacement.
- However, the ultrasonographic features were inconclusive in specifying the exact type and extent of the lesion (an abnormal mass in the body tissue).
- The researchers then turned to Magnetic Resonance (MR) Imaging to further study the case.
- The MR scans clearly showed that the growth pattern of the mass was intracranial (within the skull) and invasive but spared the orbital soft tissues.
- Based on these MR images, the researchers made a tentative diagnosis of an orbital soft tissue neoplasia (an abnormal growth or tumor in the orbital tissue).
Final Diagnosis Through Histopathological Investigation
- The final evidence came from performing a histopathological investigation on the diagnosed mass, which revealed it to be a poorly differentiated neuroendocrine tumour.
- A neuroendocrine tumour is a rare type of cancer that develops from cells of the body’s neuroendocrine system, involved in producing hormones. In this case, the mass was ‘poorly differentiated,’ indicating that it was less like normal cells and likely to grow and spread more quickly.
Human Neuroendocrine Tumour Comparison
- Interestingly, in retrospect, the changes in the horse’s MR scans were found to resemble those seen in human neuroendocrine tumours of the skull, providing a comparative point.
Conclusion and Observations
- Even though the specific characteristics of such tumours have to be elucidated (made clear) through cellular or tissue examination, the study reveals the essential role of MR imaging in diagnosing equine orbital tumours.
- MR imaging should provide the necessary criteria for evaluating the therapeutic options available and predicting disease outcomes (prognosis).
Cite This Article
APA
Matiasek K, Cronau M, Schmahl W, Gerhards H.
(2007).
Imaging features and decision making in retrobulbar neuroendocrine tumours in horses–case report and review of literature.
J Vet Med A Physiol Pathol Clin Med, 54(6), 302-306.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0442.2007.00955.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Chair of General Pathology & Neuropathology, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Veterinarstr. 13, D-80539 Munich, Germany. kaspar.matiasek@neuropathologie.de
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Diagnosis, Differential
- Fatal Outcome
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horses
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging / veterinary
- Male
- Neuroendocrine Tumors / pathology
- Neuroendocrine Tumors / veterinary
- Orbital Neoplasms / pathology
- Orbital Neoplasms / veterinary
- Prognosis
- Soft Tissue Neoplasms / pathology
- Soft Tissue Neoplasms / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 3 times.- Palmisano M, Bender S, Johnson AL. Intracranial medulloblastoma as the cause of progressive ataxia in a 6-month-old draft horse cross gelding. J Vet Intern Med 2023 Jan;37(1):361-365.
- Stieger-Vanegas SM, Hanna AL. The Role of Computed Tomography in Imaging Non-neurologic Disorders of the Head in Equine Patients. Front Vet Sci 2022;9:798216.
- Ostendarp C, Barton AK. Intraocular Tumors in Horses: Diagnosis, Tumor Classification, Oncologic Assessment and Therapy. Vet Sci 2025 Oct 17;12(10).
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