Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with progressive paralysis diagnosed with eosinophilic
By Bray, Kathryn Y et al.·Published in Veterinary clinical pathology·2016·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Eosinophilic meningomyelitis associated with T-cell lymphoma in a cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 12-year-old cat was brought in because it was having trouble moving its legs, a condition known as tetraparesis. Imaging tests showed inflammation and swelling in the spinal cord, and tests of the spinal fluid revealed a high number of eosinophils, a type of white blood cell. The cat initially showed some improvement with treatments including steroids and antibiotics, but unfortunately, its condition worsened, leading to euthanasia. A post-mortem examination found that the cat had T-cell lymphoma, a type of cancer affecting the lymphocytes, which caused significant damage to the spinal cord.
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Abstract
A 12-year-old cat was presented for evaluation of progressive tetraparesis. Magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine demonstrated T2-hyperintensity, and contrast enhancement within the C4-C7 spinal cord, with marked meningeal contrast enhancement and segmental nerve root thickening. Lumbar cerebrospinal fluid contained 407 total nucleated cells/μL, with 99% eosinophils. The cat transiently improved with prednisolone, clindamycin, and ivermectin therapy, but subsequently worsened and was euthanized. Necropsy revealed an asymmetric infiltration predominantly of the white matter, meninges, and nerve roots of the C4-C6 spinal cord segments by an unencapsulated, poorly demarcated neoplasm composed of atypical lymphocytes admixed with eosinophils, causing perivascular hemorrhage and lytic necrosis. The neoplastic cells were immunoreactive for CD3, ultimately confirming T-cell lymphoma.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27870071/