Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with seizures from brain dermoid cyst treated by surgery
By Yukiko Nakano et al.·Published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science·2025·Department of Neurosurgery, ER Hachioji Advanced Animal Medical and Critical Care Center, Hachioji, Japan, CH·View original on DOAJ →
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Original publication title: Case report: Successful surgical resection of an intracranial frontal lobe dermoid cyst in a cat
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
An 8-year-old spayed female American Shorthair cat was having frequent epileptic seizures, occurring more than three times a day, which worsened after a change in her medication. An MRI revealed a dermoid cyst in her brain, which was likely causing the seizures. After surgically removing the cyst, the cat stopped having seizures and remained seizure-free for 14 months, even after stopping her medications. This case suggests that surgery can be a successful treatment for cats with similar brain cysts causing seizures.
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Abstract
IntroductionIntracranial dermoid cysts (IDCs) are rarely observed in veterinary medicine, and reports regarding treatment strategies for feline IDCs are severely lacking. This report describes the surgical management of epileptic seizures caused by IDCs in a cat.Case presentationAn 8-year-old, spayed, female American Shorthair cat presented with epileptic seizures. The epileptic seizures, which had developed at the age of 5 years, had been controlled by phenobarbital administration. At 8 years old, the cat contracted acute hepatitis, prompting a switch from phenobarbital to other antiseizure medications. This drug switch caused an increase in the frequency of epileptic seizures. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a dermoid cyst as a heterogeneous intensity mass on T2-weighted images, without falx cerebri displacement. The preoperative seizures occurred more than three times a day (cluster seizures), even though the cat was administered multiple antiseizure medications. The seizures ceased after surgical removal of the dermoid cyst. The cat did not experience seizures for 14 months after surgery, even with discontinuation of antiseizure medications.ConclusionIn cats, surgical removal of frontal lobe IDCs may effectively control epileptic seizures without fatal complications, thus potentially leading to a great prognosis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2025.1512097