Mycotic pyogranulomatous enteritis in a German shepherd: imaging diagnosis and treatment

Abstract

A five-year old, intact male, German Shepherd dog was presented to the hospital due to a history of depression, anorexia, vomiting and diarrhea. Physical examination revealed moderate emaciation and showed mild abdominal pain when Palpation. Abdominal radiographs and ultrasounds showed the distension of the small bowel loop due to partial obstruction of the colon by mural concentric thickening. Computed tomography (CT) scan showed an homogeneous, soft tissue mass with asymmetric thickening of the cecum traversing the colonic wall. Pre-operative blood profiles indicated normocytic normochromic mild anemia, hypoalbuminemia and mild hyperglobulinemia. Intestinal resection and anastomosis at the distal ileum to the proximal descending colon were done. The cross section of the intestinal mass was of irregular shape with firm consistency and loss of wall layering. Biopsy was obtained by full thickness enterectomy which revealed severe chronic mycotic pyogranulomatous enteritis. After staining with Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) and Gomori's methenamine silver (GMS), histopathologic results indicated the intra-lesion septate branching hyphae of fungal element. There was no evidence of recurrent intestinal mass at the surgical site through ultrasonographic examination at 5 month-post-operative monitoring.