Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 20, 2025

Identification of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps in Paraffin-Embedded Feline Arterial Thrombi using Immunofluorescence Microscopy
Published on: March 29, 2020
Cardiac Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumours in Three Young Adult Cats
Noboru Machida1, Atsushi Hirakawa2, Nobuyuki Kanno3
1Laboratory of Veterinary Clinical Oncology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan.
Insights
Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumours (IMTs) are rare cardiac neoplasms in cats. This study describes three cases of feline cardiac IMTs, characterized by specific histological and immunohistochemical findings, leading to fatal heart failure.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Pathology
- Cardiovascular Diseases
- Oncology
Background:
- Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumours (IMTs) are neoplasms of uncertain malignant potential.
- Cardiac IMTs are exceedingly rare in animals, with no prior reports in cats.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the clinicopathological features of cardiac IMTs in three young adult cats.
- To characterize the histological and immunohistochemical profile of these feline cardiac tumours.
Main Methods:
- Necropsy and histopathological examination of cardiac masses from three cats.
- Immunohistochemical analysis for vimentin and α-smooth muscle actin.
Main Results:
- Three young adult cats presented with congestive heart failure due to cardiac masses.
- Histologically, masses showed spindloid mesenchymal cell proliferation with inflammatory infiltrate.
- Immunohistochemistry confirmed myofibroblastic origin (vimentin+, α-smooth muscle actin+).
Conclusions:
- The findings are consistent with inflammatory myofibroblastic tumours (IMTs) of the heart.
- This is the first report of cardiac IMTs in cats, highlighting their potential to cause fatal heart failure.
Abstract:
Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumours (IMTs) of the heart are described in three young adult cats (case 1, 3.5 years old; case 2, 2.7 years old; case 3, 1.8 years old) that died due to pleural and pericardial effusions resulting from congestive heart failure. At necropsy, cardiac masses, measuring 4 × 3 × 2.5 cm (case 1), 3.5 × 2.5 × 2 cm (case 2) and 3 × 2.5 × 2 cm (case 3), were located mainly in the right auricle (case 1) and atrial septum (cases 2 and 3) with variable extension into the surrounding tissue. Histologically, the atrial masses in all three cats comprised proliferation of spindloid mesenchymal cells and an inflammatory infiltrate of plasma cells and lymphocytes in variable amounts of myxoid background. The spindloid cells were uniform and characterized by pale eosinophilic cytoplasm and a vesicular nucleus containing prominent nucleoli, with no remarkable cytological atypia or mitotic activity. Immunohistochemically, these cells were positive for vimentin and α-smooth muscle actin in all cases, supporting a myofibroblastic origin. The histopathological and immunohistochemical features were consistent with those of IMTs in humans and animals. There have been no previous reports of such tumours occurring in the heart of the cat.
Related Concept Videos
Myocarditis I: Introduction
Myocarditis II: Clinical Features and Diagnostic Tests
Cardiomyopathy III: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Myocarditis III: Medical Management
Cardiomyopathy IV: Restrictive Cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy I: Introduction and Classification

