260
Views
6
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Clinical Communication

Distal aortic aneurysm presumed to be secondary to an infected umbilical artery in a foal

, , &
Pages 65-68 | Received 09 Nov 2010, Accepted 29 Aug 2011, Published online: 19 Dec 2011
 

Abstract

CASE HISTORY: A 3-month-old female Warmblood foal was presented after displaying signs of colic with pyrexia for 5 days.

CLINICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL FINDINGS: The foal continued to show signs of colic, frequently passed urine, and was pyrexic with an elevated white blood cell count. The umbilical stalk was thickened but there was no evidence of purulent material. Exploratory laparotomy revealed an enlarged left umbilical artery remnant tightly adhered to the bladder wall. The left umbilical artery continued to an aneurysm involving the distal aorta. The foal was subject to euthanasia and post-mortem examination confirmed a spherical aortic aneurysm, in the dorsal midline caudal to the kidneys that contained a large thrombus. Histopathological examination revealed inflammation and necrosis of the tunica intima and tunica media of the left umbilical artery with suppuration and bacterial colonies evident in the periarterial tissues.

DIAGNOSIS: Infected aortic aneurysm presumably caused by an umbilical artery infection.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: A previously undetected umbilical infection appears to have resulted in an unusual delayed complication causing signs of colic in a foal. Veterinarians should be aware of this condition, and the possibility that it may be a cause of signs of colic in foals. Diagnosis based on ultrasonography should be possible, but may require sedation, visceral analgesia and careful examination.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Dave Warburtun of the Hunterville Vet Club for referring this case, the people at Massey University who assisted with the diagnosis, treatment and post-mortem examination and Nadia Blenkiron, Graphic Designer, The Printery, Massey University for the diagram of the arteries and labelling the photographs.

Notes

*Non-peer-reviewed

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.