Case report: Long term follow-up of a large unilateral epididymal cyst in a stallion used for teaching: Is this condition associated with infertility?

Gabriela Fernandes Silva; Raquel Cunha; Fátima Carvalho; Mário Ribeiro; António Rocha; Irina Amorim; Tiago Guimarães

doi:10.3389/fvets.2023.1145742

Case report: Long term follow-up of a large unilateral epididymal cyst in a stallion used for teaching: Is this condition associated with infertility?

Front Vet Sci. 2023 Mar 29:10:1145742. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1145742. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Gabriela Fernandes Silva¹, Raquel Cunha^{1

2}, Fátima Carvalho¹, Mário Ribeiro¹, António Rocha^{1

2}, Irina Amorim^{1

3

4}, Tiago Guimarães^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (ICBAS), University of Porto (UP), Porto, Portugal.
² Center for the Study of Animal Sciences (CECA), ICETA, University of Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal.
³ Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology, University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Porto, Portugal.
⁴ Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (i3S), University of Porto (UP), Porto, Portugal.

Abstract

A 30-year-old Lusitano stallion presented with an enlarged right epididymis. The ultrasound scan revealed a cyst-like formation and the histopathological examination was compatible with epididymal cyst located at the body/tail transition, epididymal spermatocele and sperm granuloma and epididymitis. However, these conditions did not seem to affect the animal's reproductive performance, nor did the semen parameters analyzed over the 8 years after the diagnosis show significant changes. Nevertheless, since the ejaculate contains mostly sperm cells from the tail of the epididymis, where fertile spermatozoa are stored until ejaculated, a deep knowledge of the different conditions that can affect this organ is of the utmost importance.

Keywords: cyst; epididymis; equine; semen; sperm granuloma; spermatocele.

Publication types

Case Reports

Grants and funding

GFS (2022.14765.BD) acknowledges the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), for financial support. IPATIMUP integrates the i3S Research Unit, which is partially supported by FCT.