Abstract
A 46-year-old female western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) presented for metrorrhagia. Vaginal and rectal ultrasonographic examination of the reproductive tract under anesthesia revealed a uterine mass consistent with a leiomyoma (fibroid). Hormonal therapy was initiated to reduce the mass but was unsuccessful. Over the next several months, vaginal bleeding continued and appeared to increase in volume and frequency with a resulting non-regenerative anemia. Uterine hydrothermal ablation was performed in an effort to alleviate some of this animal’s clinical signs.3 The procedure was executed successfully in this gorilla with an excellent recovery, cessation of vaginal bleeding and a resolution of the anemia; however, vaginal bleeding recurred within 1 month. Uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) was subsequently performed and the animal had no complications from the procedure.4 Immediately following the procedure, vaginal bleeding stopped. At a 4-month recheck, the uterine mass had a significant reduction in size and the animal continued to be amenorrheic. Uterine tumors have been described in great apes and have been associated with serious disease.1,2,5 UFE appears to be a minimally invasive technique that can potentially halt ongoing menorrhea and can be an effective alternative to treating uterine leiomyomas without surgical intervention.
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to the Brookfield Zoo’s great ape staff, Dr. Michael Zinnaman, MD (Loyola University of Chicago, Maywood, IL), the technical staff at Adventist Health Systems (La Grange, IL), Jennifer Langan DVM DACZM, Tom Meehan, DVM, Mark Warneke and Kimberly Schmidt, DVM. Very special thanks to Boston Scientific (Chris Barron and Matthew Wyatt Fischer) and the General Electric Company (Sam D’Amico, Heiner Fuchs, Javier Guizar, Katie Bohling) for their generous collaborations in providing equipment, supplies and technical expertise.
Literature Cited
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