Diagnostic Challenge
Diagnostic Challenge

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History

A 1.5-year-old male, castrated, sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps) presented with a history of intermittent dyspnea and dysphagia of 3 days’ duration. Dysphagia was appreciated clinically affecting the patient as coughing or gagging upon attempting to swallow. The sugar glider would also paw at its mouth when trying to eat and rub its face on the bars of its cage, and forceful sneezing fits and a clicking noise from the nose were described by the owner. The animal was housed in a nongalvanized

Diagnosis

Owing to absence of clinical improvement, the animal was humanely euthanized with pentobarbitol sodium 0.5 mL intravenous (Fatal-Plus Solution; Vortech Pharmaceuticals, Dearborn, MI USA). A necropsy with routine histopathology was performed. Gross necropsy findings included a large, firm, pale tan well-demarcated, multilobulated expansile, and compressive mass, measuring 4 × 1.8 × 1.5 cm in the cranial mediastinum (FIGURE 1, FIGURE 2). The mass occupied approximately 70% of the thoracic cavity,

Discussion

Neuroblastomas, ganglioneuroblastomas, and ganglioneuromas are all types of peripheral neuroblastic tumors (PNT), and are classified based on degree of differentiation.1 Neuroblasts originate from embryonic neural crest cells that ultimately differentiate to form the sympathetic chain, sympathetic ganglia and paraganglia, and chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla.1 Neoplasms originating from these cells can occur anywhere along the sympathetic trunk.1 In veterinary medicine, neuroblastoma is

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