Ovarian Fibrothecoma in a Mare-Case Report.
Authors: Tamulionytė-Skėrė Raimonda, Juodžiukynienė Nomeda, Gruodytė Renata, Rimkutė Paulina, Duliebaitė Iveta, Savickytė Akvilė
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Ovarian Fibrothecoma in a Mare Ovarian tumours remain diagnostically challenging in equine practice, particularly stromal cell tumours such as fibrothecomas, which can be difficult to differentiate from pure fibromas or thecomas due to mixed histological presentation and variable clinical manifestations. This case report documents the incidental discovery of an ovarian fibrothecoma during exploratory laparotomy in a 6-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare presenting with colic, with final diagnosis confirmed through histopathological examination following unilateral ovariectomy. Whilst clinical examination, ultrasonography, and endocrine profiling may raise suspicion for ovarian neoplasia, histopathology remains the only reliable diagnostic tool for definitive classification of stromal tumours. For practitioners managing mares with unexplained colic, abnormal oestrous behaviour, or incidental ovarian enlargement on imaging, awareness of ovarian fibrothecoma as a differential diagnosis is warranted, particularly when conservative management fails. Definitive diagnosis requires histological assessment post-ovariectomy, and recognition of this tumour type contributes to the limited body of equine literature on sex-cord stromal neoplasms and their clinical presentation.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Ovarian tumors should be considered as a differential diagnosis in mares presenting with colic, even though they are uncommon; diagnostic laparotomy may reveal incidental neoplasia.
- •Definitive diagnosis of ovarian fibrothecoma requires histopathology—imaging and clinical signs alone are insufficient for differentiation from other stromal tumors.
- •Ovariectomy is an effective treatment option for symptomatic ovarian fibrothecoma in mares and can resolve associated colic symptoms.
Key Findings
- •Ovarian fibrothecoma was incidentally discovered during diagnostic laparotomy in a 6-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare presenting with colic symptoms.
- •Histopathology was required for definitive diagnosis, as fibrothecomas present with limited morphological, clinical, ultrasonographic, and endocrine profile characteristics.
- •Unilateral ovariectomy successfully removed the altered right ovary and resolved the clinical presentation.