Primary cranial mediastinal hemangiosarcoma in a young dog,Hun-Young Yoon1*, Hye-Mi Kang2 and Mi-Young Lee3 1Department of Veterinary Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul 143-701, South Korea Full list of author information is available at the end of the article,Primary cranial mediastinal hemangiosarcomas are uncommon tumors. A 30-kg, 2-year-old, intact female German shepherd was presented for evaluation of cachexia and respiratory distress of a few days duration. Lateral radiographic projection of the thorax revealed significant pleural effusion. Computed tomography revealed a cranial mediastinal mass effect adjacent to the heart. On surgical exploration, a pedunculated mass attached to the esophagus, trachea, brachiocephalic trunk, left subclavian artery and cranial vena cava without attachment to the right atrium and auricular appendage was removed and debrided by use of blunt dissection and dry gauzes, respectively.,abstract,Primary cranial mediastinal hemangiosarcomas 颅脑原发性纵隔血管肉瘤 cachexia 瘦弱，萎靡不振 respiratory distress 呼吸窘迫 Lateral radiographic projection 横向射线投影 thorax胸部pleural effusion胸腔积液 Computed tomography 计算机断层扫描 cranial mediastinal mass 前纵隔肿块 pedunculated mass 带蒂肿块 esophagus 食管 trachea 气管 brachiocephalic trunk 头臂干 left subclavian artery左锁骨下动脉 cranial vena cava颅腔静脉 right atrium 右心房 auricular appendage 心耳 debrided 清除 blunt dissection钝性剥离 dry gauzes干纱布,AbstractHistopathology results described the cranial mediastinal mass as hemangiosarcoma. At 8 months and 5 days post-operatively, the patient died. Primary cranial mediastinal hemangiosarcomas, although a seemingly rare cause of thoracic pathology in young dogs, should be considered in the differential diagnosis for pleural effusion and soft tissue mass effect in the cranial mediastinum. This is the first case report in a dog to describe primary cranial mediastinal hemangiosarcoma.,组织病理学说,Case presentation,A 30-kg, 2-year-old, intact female German shepherd was presented for evaluation of cachexia and respiratory distress of a few days duration. On physical examination, the dog showed labored breathing with a respiratory rate of approximately 90/minute. A low hematocrit (28.9%) was identified on complete blood count profiling.,At 189 103/L, platelets were in the low-normal range (reference range: 180 to 500 103/L). A urinalysis and serum biochemistry and coagulation profiles were unremarkable. Lateral and ventrodorsal radiographic projections of the thorax revealed significant accumulation of pleural effusion and widening of the cranial mediastinum with increased soft-tissue density (Figure 1A and B). Sanguineous fluid (700 ml) was removed under ultrasound-guided thoracocentesis.,Figure 1 Preoperative radiographic view. (A) Lateral projection of the thorax reveals significant accumulation of pleural effusion. (B) Ventrodorsal projection of the thorax reveals a widened cranial mediastinum with increased soft-tissue density.,Pleural effusion and ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration cytology of the mass predominantly revealed erythrocytes and no tumor cells. On auscultation, there was no evidence of muffled heart sound. A thoracic ultrasound and CT scan revealed a mass effect in the cranial mediastinum adjacent to the heart (Figure 2).,The mass was approximately 9 cm in height, 8 cm in width and 12 cm in length. There was no evidence of invasion into the cranial vena cava, brachiocephalic trunk or left subclavian artery. An abdominal CT scan was performed to rule out other differentials and demonstrated no evidence of masses on the spleen, liver and other sites. The CT scan diagnosis was cranial mediastinal soft tissue neoplasm.,肿瘤,Figure 2 Preoperative sagittal computed tomography post-contrast image. A mass effect is present in the cranial mediastinum, adjacent to the heart. The mass is approximately 9 cm in height, 8 cm in width and 12 cm in length.,矢状的,Surgical exploration of the thorax was performed through median sternotomy. The upper half of the manubrium and the xiphoid process were left intact. A pedunculated mass located in the cranial mediastinum was attached to the surrounding organs including the esophagus, trachea, brachiocephalic trunk, left subclavian artery and cranial vena cava without attachment to the right atrium, right auricular appendage, pericardium and heart base (Figure 3).,Figure 3 Intraoperative photograph. A pedunculated mass located in the cranial mediastinum is attached to the surrounding organs including the esophagus, trachea, brachiocephalic trunk, left subclavian artery and cranial vena cava.,术中,The mass was removed by blunt dissection from the organs to which it was attached, including the esophagus, trachea, brachiocephalic trunk, left subclavian artery and cranial vena cava. The internal thoracic artery and vein were sacrificed for aggressive surgical removal of the mass. Segments of the residual mass attached to the organs were debrided with dry gauze. The removed mass was submitted for microscopic evaluation. The thoracic cavity was then lavaged with warmed sterile saline. A left-sided thoracostomy tube was placed for drainage of anticipated post-operative pleural effusion.,