Veterinary case
Rare cyst found on a hen's thyroid gland
⚠️ This information is provided for awareness only and does not replace an examination by a veterinarian.
🤖 Summary produced automatically from the scientific publication cited at the bottom of the page.
A backyard hen was carrying, next to her thyroid gland, a cyst never before described in a bird.
What happened?
A 3-year-old backyard hen had suffered for a while from chronic skin and mouth lesions that would not heal, with crusts on the head, neck, and chest. Because of this ongoing illness, the owner had a necropsy performed to understand what was happening. During that post-mortem exam, the veterinarians stumbled upon a strange little mass next to the thyroid gland.
What did the vet find?
The hen had nodular skin lesions and wounds on the head, neck, and chest, along with inflammation in the mouth and eyes. Alongside these known signs, the necropsy revealed a firm, whitish-gray, well-defined mass about 0.5 cm in size, attached to the edge of the left thyroid gland and mildly compressing it. Microscopic examination showed a thin-walled cyst filled with thick material, lined by ciliated cells typical of an embryonic remnant of the duct that once connected the thyroid to the base of the tongue. Special tests confirmed the cells were of thyroid origin, confirming the diagnosis of a thyroglossal duct cyst, never before reported in a bird.
What did the vet do?
ℹ️ Treatment given to THIS animal, decided by its veterinarian. It is not a prescription: never apply it without veterinary advice.
The cyst was only discovered after the hen's death, during the necropsy performed to understand her chronic skin lesions. No treatment was therefore possible for this finding, since it was unknown during the animal's life.
What happened next?
The hen had already died from her chronic skin and mouth lesions when the cyst was discovered. This case remains notable mainly because it is the very first description of this type of cyst in a bird.
Advice for the farmer
This cyst is a congenital defect present from birth, so it cannot be prevented; what matters for the owner is to have any animal with non-healing wounds or skin lesions examined quickly by a vet.
Source
- Source
- PubMed Central
- Title
- Case report: The first description of a thyroglossal duct cyst in a hen (Gallus gallus domesticus).
- Authors
- Pop R, Oren S, Negoescu A, Cătoi C, Tăbăran AF.
- Year
- 2024
- DOI
- 10.3389/fvets.2024.1388152
- Licence
- CC BY
