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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Dog with back leg weakness caused by spine bone overgrowth

By Foreman, Max et al.·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2022·Neurology and Neurosurgery Service, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed

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Original publication title: Case Report: Diffuse Lumbar Hyperostosis Causing Vertebral Canal Stenosis in a Dog With Concurrent Multicentric T-Cell Lymphoma.

Species:
dog

Plain-English summary

A 4-year-old female Bullmastiff-cross was brought to the vet after experiencing worsening weakness in her back legs for a day. Tests revealed that her spinal canal was narrowed due to abnormal bone growth, and she was also diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma, a type of cancer affecting her lymph nodes. Unfortunately, her condition was very serious, and she was euthanized due to a poor prognosis. A post-mortem examination confirmed both the cancer and the bone changes in her spine.

People also search for: dog back leg weakness · Bullmastiff lymphoma treatment · paraparesis in dogs

Abstract

A 4-year-old female spayed Bullmastiff-cross presented with a 24-h history of progressive paraparesis. Neurological examination was consistent with L4-S3 myelopathy. On magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), all vertebrae showed homogenously increased short tau inversion recovery (STIR) signal with strong contrast enhancement. The vertebral canal was concentrically narrowed along the length of the L5 vertebra secondary to bony proliferation of the vertebral pedicles, dorsal lamina, and vertebral body. Cytological analysis of the peripheral lymph nodes and subsequent flow cytometry was consistent with T-cell lymphoma. The dog was euthanised due to poor prognosis. Necropsy confirmed the presence of stage V multicentric T-cell lymphoma, as well as diffuse hyperostosis of the vertebral bodies. This is the first report of presumed paraneoplastic lumbar skeletal hyperostosis.

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Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35812849/