From:
Bruce Williams, DVM
Date: 2001-11-14 22:25:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Translation, Please: Histopathology on Pancreatitis
case
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., "Debi Christy" <ferrets1st@f...>
wrote:
> Background: Lucky (2 yrs old)went in for suspected blockage,
symptoms
> were abrupt inactivity and refusal to eat, rapid weight loss.
Surgery
> found a reddened pancreas and a lump in the mesentery area and
> reddened hemoraged areas of the intestine. Lucky has recovered well
> from surgery & is current recieving 1 ml PediaPred daily, to be
> reduced to 1 ml. every other day in a couple of days. >
> Report:
>
> Description: Two sections of a partial specimen of mesenteric lymph
> node are examined. The sections exhibits marked reactive
hyperplasia
> characterized by the formation of numerous primary and secondary
> cortical folicles. The interfollicular area and medullary sinuses
> contain numerous small lymphocytes admixed with lesser numbers of
> eosinophils.
>
> Histopathologic Diagnosis: Marked, chronic, reactive lymphoid
> hyperplasia with sinus eosinophilia.
>
> Comment: The histologic appearance of the lesion is inflammatory
> rather tha neoplastic in nature. Coupled with the clinical signs
and
> signalment, a differential diagnosis in the case is eosinophilic
> enteritis. As such, this is a wasting disease most commonly seen in
> young male ferrets. Histologic confirmation may be aided by
> demonstration of eosinophilic infiltrates in the small intestine.
>
> end of report
>
> What exactly does this mean in regard to his future health and care
> and what can be done to ammeliorate the symptoms?
Dear Debi:
This is not bad news. What you are seeing is some reactive changes
in the node to chronic inflammation in the gut - most all middle-aged
ferrets have changes like this, and it should not be construed as
indication of disease at this time. It is also not unusual to find
small numbers of eosinophils in the lymph node (or in the intestine
for that matter - there is a normal population of these cells here,
and just seeing them there should not make one think of or diagnosis
eosinophilic enteritis. Affected nodes in EE are obviously packed
full of eosinophils, and there are other changes in them to boot -
this doesn't sound at all like one.
At this point, the nodes are what you would expect in a middle-aged
ferret with some chronic inflammation in the bowel.
I noticed that the intestine does not appear to have been biopsied.
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM