Intestinal lymphangiectasy in dog. A case report

Abstract

The clinical and histopathological aspects of a case of intestinal lymphangiectasia are described in a 5 years old Dobermann dog. The symptoms associated with the process were: persistent diarrhea resistent to theraphy, and ascites. The integrity of the abdominal organs, lymphatic vessels and “cistema chyli” were determined through exploratory laparotomy. The main histopathological alterations observed in a fragment of the small intestine were: flattening* of the villus, ectasis of the lymphatic vessels and pools of histiocytic cells and lymphocytes in the submucous. The radiograph of the chest revealed both the presence of a denser image localized at the base of the heart near the lung hilus and pleural effusion. The analyses of the fluid revealed large amounts of protein and lymphocytes. The clinical observations, the laboratory data and the histopathological alterations of the small intestine lead to the conclusion the animal had intestinal lymphangiectasia, caused by a compressive process in the thoracic duct, probably a tumoral formation of lymphoid origin localized in the mediastinum.