Successful intra-abdominal resection of a 24 kg ovarian granulosa cell
tumour in a Warmblood mare
Abstract
Granulosa cell tumour (GCT) is a benign tumour that affects a mare’s
ovaries. In this report, a case of unilateral GCT in an ovary, which
weighed 24 kg, of a 7-year-old warmblood mare is described, including
ultrasonographic, clinical appearance and successful surgical removal of
the tumour. The GCT was the cause of an acute hemoperitoneum and after a
first stabilization of the mare, the GCT was removed through a ventral
midline incision. Because of the enormous dimensions of the GCT,
intra-abdominal partial resection of the tumor using a tenotomy knife
was performed to exteriorize the ovarian pedicle. The technique can
cause an intra-abdominal hemorrhage and the time between GCT resection
and sealing of the respective ovarian pedicle should be as short as
possible. After 3.5 months, the mare had a good cosmetic and functional
outcome and was ridden for her intended use. Metastasis of GCT is rare,
but not impossible. The mare therefore should be followed up for a
longer period of time to investigate if metastasis develops.