Ascites Secondary to Compression of the Caudal Vena Cava by Liver Abscesses in a Cow

Ascites is excessive accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity. The ascites fluid can be characterised as inflammatory, noninflammatory, chylous, urine-like, haemorrhagic or bilious [1]. In cattle, ascites fluid is usually non-inflammatory and associated with vascular congestion due to chronic right-sided heart failure, a mediastinal mass, chronic liver or kidney disease, ileus of the small intestines, enteropathies, peritoneal tumours or thrombosis of the caudal vena cava [1]. There are several reports on ascites associated with thrombosis of the caudal vena cava in cattle [2-5], but to the authors‘ knowledge, there are no reports on ascites secondary to compression of this vein. This case report describes the clinical, ultrasonographic and pathological findings in a 3.7-year-old Brown Swiss cow, which was five months pregnant and had ascites secondary to compression of the caudal vena cava by liver abscesses. Case presentation: The cow had a distended, pear-shaped abdomen. Ultrasonography of the abdomen showed a massive accumulation of hypoechoic fluid and dilatation of the caudal vena cava. A tentative diagnosis of thrombosis of the caudal vena cava was made, and because of a poor prognosis, the cow was slaughtered. Incision of the abdominal wall released approximately 100 litres of yellow, clear, non-malodorous fluid from the peritoneal cavity. The liver was markedly enlarged, and two abscesses, approximately 10 cm in diameter, were situated immediately adjacent to the caudal vena cava causing compression of the vein. No microbiology culture was done. The final diagnosis was ascites secondary to compression of the caudal vena cava by two liver abscesses and secondary hepatic fibrosis. Conclusion: This report suggests that compression of the caudal vena cava by liver abscesses should be included in the list of differential diagnosis of conditions associated with ascites and dilatation of the caudal vena in cattle.