Cardiac osteochondrolipoma in a cheetah.

Abstract

A 13-y-old captive female cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) succumbed following the acute onset of respiratory distress. Autopsy revealed bacterial bronchopneumonia as the primary cause of death. Additionally, splenic myelolipomas and systemic amyloidosis were identified postmortem. Interestingly, a solitary, firm nodule was found in the right atrial wall, consisting histologically of mature adipocytes with partial osseous and cartilaginous differentiation, consistent with osteochondrolipoma. Hepatic congestion suggested right heart failure. Although the direct impact of the cardiac mass on heart function remains unclear, its potential contribution to the fatal outcome cannot be discounted. To our knowledge, cardiac osteochondrolipoma has not been reported previously in cheetahs or other animals.