Adrenohepatic Fusion In Domestic Ferrets (Mustela putorius furus)

Abstract

Adrenohepatic fusion (AHF) is defined as the union of hepatic tissue with the adrenal gland with close intermingling of the respective parenchymal cells. Although AHF is a common incidental finding in man, in the veterinary literature there is only one article reporting this condition in two monkeys. We report two cases of AHF in domestic ferrets. Materials and Methods: A 5-year-old neutered male ferret with a history of chronic diarrhoea and a 1-year-old male ferret with anorexia and sudden death were submitted to the Unit of Veterinary Histology and Pathology for necropsy examination. Results: In both cases, a well-demarcated, firm nodule, with fluctuant areas, was observed adherent to the right hepatic lobule and was suspected to be the right adrenal gland. Left adrenal glands were macroscopically normal. Microscopically, the nodules adherent to the liver were adrenal tissue, with close intermingling of the respective parenchymal cells and lack of a fibrous capsule between the two cell populations. Multiple rounded, variable sized, cystic structures were also observed. Conclusions: This is the first description of a fusion of cellular elements of the adrenal gland with the hepatic parenchyma in domestic ferrets.