Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association 45:39-42 (2009)
© 2009 American Animal Hospital Association
Ectopic Hepatic Parenchyma Attached to the Diaphragm: Simulating a Pulmonary Mass in a Cat
Ravinder S. Dhaliwal, DVM, MS, Diplomate ACVIM (Oncology), Diplomate ABVP and
Janice K. Lacey, DVM, MS, Diplomate ACVP
From the Department of Oncology (Dhaliwal), All Care Animal Referral Center, 18440 Amistad Street, Fountain Valley, California 92708 and Antech Diagnostics (Lacey), 13633 North Cave Creek Road, Phoenix, Arizona 85022.
A case of an ectopic lobe of the liver connected to a normal diaphragm is described. A 9-year-old, castrated male cat underwent thoracotomy for a pulmonary mass. The removed mass was attached to the diaphragm that histologically was ectopic liver. The ectopic liver had no connection with the main liver. Because the occurrence of ectopic supradiaphragmatic hepatic tissue is a possibility, this should be considered as a differential diagnosis for caudal pulmonary or caudal mediastinal masses in a cat. This report describes, to the authors’ knowledge, the first case of ectopic hepatic tissue attached to the diaphragm of a cat. The authors also characterize the asymptomatic clinical presentation and radiographic findings of this cat and suggest further imaging with computed tomography in unusual case presentations.
Copyright © 2009 by the American Animal Hospital Association.
