Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Brain tumors causing seizures in 173 dogs studied from 1986-2003
By Snyder, Jessica M et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2006·Department of Clinical Studies, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Canine intracranial primary neoplasia: 173 cases (1986-2003).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A dog with seizures was found to have a brain tumor after being examined at the vet. In a study of 173 dogs with primary brain tumors, the most common type was meningiomas, which accounted for nearly half of the cases. Many of these tumors were located in areas of the brain that affected multiple functions, leading to symptoms like seizures. The study suggests that vets should check for other tumors in the chest and abdomen before performing brain surgery or advanced imaging. Unfortunately, the outcomes for these dogs varied, and many had other health issues at the time of diagnosis.
People also search for: dog seizures causes · brain tumor in dogs symptoms · dog meningioma treatment
Abstract
This study investigates the clinical and pathologic findings associated with 173 primary brain tumors in our hospital population of dogs that presented between the years 1986 and 2002. Of the 173 primary brain tumors, 78 (45%) were meningiomas, 29 (17%) were astrocytomas, 25 (14%) were oligodendrogliomas, 12 (7%) were choroid plexus tumors, and 7 (4%) were primary central nervous system lymphomas. Smaller numbers of glioblastomas (n = 5), primitive neuroectodermal tumors (n = 5), histiocytic sarcomas (n = 5), vascular hamartomas (n = 4), and unclassified gliomas (n = 3) were identified. One dog had both a meningioma and an astrocytoma. Most tumors were located within the telencephalon, and seizures were the most common clinical presenting complaint. Of 168 tumors for which a location in the brain was recorded at postmortem examination, 79 were found to involve more than 1 brain division. Other neoplasms unrelated to the primary brain tumor were identified on postmortem examination in 39 dogs (23%). Intrathoracic and intraabdominal neoplasms were present at necropsy in 13 and 24 cases, respectively. Based on the results of this study, thoracic radiographs and abdominal ultrasonography may be indicated to look for extracranial neoplasia prior to advanced imaging of the brain or intracranial surgery.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16734106/