Jejunal intussusception associated with lymphoma in a horse.

This study reports a case history of a 2-year-old Thoroughbred horse with acute colitis which was found to be linked to lymphoma causing an intussusception in its jejunum. This appears to be the first reported case of equine intussusception triggered by local intestinal lymphoma.

Presentation of the Case

• The case study concerns a 2-year-old Thoroughbred horse that presented with acute colitis.
• A condition known as intussusception occurred in the horse’s jejunum, which is a part of the small intestine. Intussusception refers to a medical condition where a part of the intestine folds into the section immediately ahead of it, thereby creating a blockage.

Diagnosis and Treatment

• Upon exploration, the intussuscepted jejunum was surgically removed, and a mass was discovered within it that was protruding into the lumen, the interior space of the intestine.
• Further histological and immunohistochemical examinations were conducted on the removed mass to accurately identify the nature of the ailment.
• Based on these tests, the mass was diagnosed as a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Lymphomas are cancers that start in the lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell.

Outcome and Conclusions

• The diagnosis included metastasis to the mesenteric lymph nodes. The mesenteric lymph nodes are a group of lymph nodes in the abdomen, and metastasis signifies the spread of cancer cells from the original tumor to different parts of the body.
• Due to the anatomical location of the mass in the intussusception and the absence of other obvious underlying diseases, it was concluded that the intussusception had occurred in association with the mass.
• The researchers revealed that this case is believed to be the first reported instance of a horse intussusception linked with localized intestinal lymphoma, thus bringing new insights into equine intestinal diseases and their potential causal relationships with more serious conditions such as lymphoma.