Selective fatty replacement of the exocrine pancreas in a domestic shorthair cat: histopathological findings with long-term outcome

Abstract

The clinical, histopathological findings and eventual outcome of a cat with marked and selective fatty replacement of the exocrine pancreas are described in this case report. A 9-year-old female neutered domestic shorthair cat presenting with polyphagia, weight loss and intermittent vomiting was diagnosed on histopathology with severe exocrine pancreatic atrophy, with relative sparing of the endocrine pancreas and replacement of the acinar cells by mature adipose tissue. This case report discusses the histological findings in this case and the eventual outcome, as well as the potential underlying causes of this histological change.

Figure 1

Histological appearance of the pancreatic tissues at initial biopsy. Haematoxylin and eosin-stained section of the pancreas revealing severe parenchymal loss, with residual pancreatic cells and blood vessels widely separated by well-differentiated adipose tissue. Note the pacinian corpuscle in the top right corner; prominent pacinian corpuscles such as this are often seen in feline pancreata (magnification × 40)

Figure 2

Immunohistochemical staining of the pancreatic tissues with antibodies against various cell markers: (a) chromogranin and (b) synaptophysin are neuroendocrine cell markers, while (c) insulin is more specific for insulin-secreting β-cells within islets and (d) cytokeratin labels epithelial cells. The majority of residual pancreatic tissues demonstrate staining compatible with endocrine islet cells rather than exocrine pancreatic tissues (magnification for all images × 40)

Figure 3

Photograph of the cat >1 year after diagnosis (courtesy, and with permission, of the owners)