Back-scattered electron imaging of a non-vertebral case of hypervitaminosis A in a cat

J Franch,J Pastor,B Franch,I Durall,Mc Manzanares

doi:10.1053/jfms.2000.0065

Abstract

We describe a clinical case of hypervitaminosis A in a cat. The main lesions were bony fusions of both the hip and stifle joints, without spinal involvement. A post-mortem study using back-scattered scanning electron microscopy (BEI-SEM) revealed that exostoses had formed around the joints without articular surface involvement. The more recently formed areas of bony proliferation were composed mainly of chondroid tissue surrounded by different degrees of woven bone. As the bony reaction occurred, remodelling of the trabeculae was observed which lead to progressive substitution of chondroid tissue by woven bone surrounded by apposition of lamellar bone. No traces of calcified cartilage were observed in any of the bone sections evaluated.

Highlights

We describe a clinical case of hypervitaminosis A in a cat
Exostoses of the cervicothoracic vertebrae are the most frequent radiographic finding observed in cats with hypervitaminosis A, the limb joints are affected in some cases (Armstrong & Hand 1989)
Softtissue calcification has been reported in some affected cats and it can be associated with a less intense, more chronic hypervitaminosis A in the mature animal (Bennett 1976)

Summary

Introduction

We describe a clinical case of hypervitaminosis A in a cat. The more recently formed areas of bony proliferation were composed mainly of chondroid tissue surrounded by different degrees of woven bone. Hypervitaminosis A is a metabolic bone disease associated with a chronic excess of vitamin A which is frequently described as a result of feeding a diet consisting largely of liver. Exostoses of the cervicothoracic vertebrae are the most frequent radiographic finding observed in cats with hypervitaminosis A, the limb joints are affected in some cases (Armstrong & Hand 1989). The objectives of this paper are (1) to describe a clinical case of hypervitaminosis A with involvement of the hindlimbs but no spinal involvement and (2) to study the different types of calcified tissues involved around the ankylosed joints

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