Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with cervical spinal chordoma causing sudden paralysis
By Gruber, A et al.·Published in Veterinary pathology·2008·Institute of Pathology and Forensic Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Cervical spinal chordoma with chondromatous component in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 7-year-old male Belgian Shepherd was brought in after suddenly collapsing and showing weakness in all four legs. An MRI revealed a mass in the spinal cord, which was later confirmed to be a type of tumor called a chordoma, with some cartilage-like features. Unfortunately, the dog was euthanized due to the severity of the condition. This case highlights the importance of early detection and intervention for spinal tumors in dogs.
People also search for: dog sudden weakness · Belgian Shepherd spinal tumor · chordoma in dogs · dog collapsing treatment
Abstract
A 7-year-old male Belgian Shepherd dog was presented with sudden onset of lateral recumbency and tetraparesis. At the level of the third cervical vertebra, magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated an intrameningeal and intramedullary mass lesion. The animal was subsequently euthanatized. A necropsy revealed a semitranslucent solid mass infiltrating dorsal and ventral dura mater and the spinal cord. Histologic examination revealed a lobulated pleomorphic mass, mainly resembling undifferentiated cartilage interspersed by spindle-shaped and polygonal cells with highly vacuolated cytoplasm (physaliphorous cells). Immunohistochemistry of the tumor cells demonstrated dual expression of vimentin and cytokeratin. Based on the histologic and immunohistochemical results, the diagnosis of a chordoma with chondromatous component was made.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18725469/