Fatal Multi-cystic disease

I don't know much more about this than what I am sharing. But, I am sharing just to make you all aware that it can happen.

To date, the SUGAR Group only has on file two cases of cysts leading to death. This is one of those stories.

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Fresca is a rescue that came here about a year and a half ago. Fresca has never had a health issue at all. All of her health checks have always come back perfectly healthy...... until a few weeks ago.
I started to notice a little bump on her left side. If her cage mate were not neutered, I would have been worried that she was pregnant. But, when I would feel it, it felt soft and sometimes I didn't feel it at all, but could see it. So, I made an appointment to go see Dr. Walsh. I had to put the appointment off for a week due to car and family issues, but made my way there on the 2nd and 3rd of this month. By that time, the lump on her side was large and very noticable. It had grown that much in just a few weeks. So much so that she was now walking strange and had trouble sitting back on her back legs. I feared the worst.

We did x-rays and found this:


Obviously I was very concerned. We took an aspirate sample from the mass and it looked like a milkshake. It was very strange. So, we cultured it and I took everything with me to take to the lab. I left Tulsa on Saturday. Fresca passed away early Monday morning. I had a little bit of warning, but was still not prepared for how quickly she would go.

I took her in for a necropsy and histopathology (of course) and got all the reports back. What looks like one large mass in the x-ray is actually many, many different cysts. She had cysts in her liver and all around her liver - so many that they stopped counting. Some of them were very large and some were tiny, and they were all connected with fibrous material. There were so many cysts and they were so fast growing that they began to choke out her other organs.
They are described as such on the report:

Quote :

The abdominal cavity is distorted by the presence of multiple variable sized cysts filled with clear fluid,
The cysts vary from several millimeters to 2 cm across. Some cysts are located within the liver. Others
extend into the abdominal cavity.

Her cause of death was listed as

Quote :

Multiple biliary cysts.
COMMENT:
The histologic findings are indicative of a multicystic condition of the lever of biliary histogenesis. The
lesion is considered benign, yet life threatening because of the extent and size which represents a
considerable space filling in the abdominal cavity.

Where I had suspected cancer, what we found was so different than that. The fluid in the cysts is still being tested. It does not contain any WBC or blood, for what that's worth. Again, this is a very unusual diagnosis. The SUGAR Group only has one other necropsy indicating a cyst, and it was only one cyst in the liver, not multiple cysts.

Very interesting...

Val, I know she came in as a rescue, but do you have any background information at all on her?

The only thing I know about her is that she is one of just a few gliders that we know of with her particular coloring. She is/was one of the gliders that MelindaKay brought to our attention a month or so ago. Here she is at the vet visit:


She was a re-home from CL and lived with her previous mommy for 1+ years. She was reportedly a twin, and her twin sister died this last Feb. of early onset uterine cancer and hemorrhagic mastitis. That is all I know.

Fresca had x-rays back in Feb. when Fanta died (just to be sure she didn't also have cancer and wasn't hemorrhaging anywhere). She did not have any cysts at that time.

Peanut was the second glider to have a cyst. He was bought at a pet shop in Lansing MI. The owner was feeding him fruit,veggies and mangosteen (which was a cure cancer drink in the late 90's). He started SMing on day and I got a frantic call from the owner to come get him or he would die. Was not sure he would live through the night with as much damage as he had done. Dr. G sewed him up and he lived in a e-collar for 4 month till everything healed. He went on to live 4yrs with me. One day I went to feed him and he was dead. We did a necropsy and the liver didn't look right. I couldn't afford the histopathology (SUGAR wasn't around yet). So Dr.G just put his organs in storage. Last year I finally sent off the organs to SUGAR when I had another glider being shipped out.
The report showed that he had a large cyst of his liver.

I have now had a second glider diagnosed with polycystic disease after his death.

This glider is another rescue who has had difficulty with constipation off and on for the last 6 months. He passed away last week of what we thought was an impaction. Histo results are in today and revealed the following:

Quote :

Pararectal mass - The lesion/swelling at this site was identified at necropsy as a possible explanation forthe colonic impaction. The tissue consists of mucocutaneous skin and subcutis. The subcutis is markedlyexpanded by a polycystic mass. The cysts are lined by a simple cuboidal gland/duct type epithelium.
Some of the cystic spaces include small papilliferous structures along the lining.
Other tissues are not remarkable.

Cause of death is listed as:

Quote :

DIAGNOSIS:
Pararectal Apocrine Cyst Adenoma.