Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Idiopathic thickened brain covering in six dogs and treatment results
By Roynard, P et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2012·Long Island Veterinary Specialists, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Idiopathic hypertrophic pachymeningitis in six dogs: MRI, CSF and histological findings, treatment and outcome.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Six dogs were diagnosed with a rare condition called idiopathic hypertrophic pachymeningitis, which causes thickening of the protective membranes around the brain. They showed symptoms like neurological issues, but tests didn’t reveal any specific cause. The dogs were treated with immunomodulatory medications, including corticosteroids, and five of them responded well to the treatment. However, the overall outlook for recovery varies, with some dogs having a fair to poor prognosis.
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Abstract
Idiopathic hypertrophic pachymeningitis has been described in humans as a rare, chronic progressive non-specific inflammatory and fibrotic disease of the dura mater. This is a case series of six canine cases of presumptive or confirmed intracranial idiopathic hypertrophic pachymeningitis. These dogs were included in this retrospective study, based on magnetic resonance imaging findings. All presented with pachymeningeal thickening and enhancement without involvement of the leptomeninges on magnetic resonance imaging and no underlying cause identified on cerebrospinal fluid analysis, complete blood count, serum biochemistry and infectious disease titres. Histopathological examination was available in one case. Response to immunomodulatory treatment (corticosteroids and cytosine arabinoside) was achieved in five cases. Idiopathic hypertrophic pachymeningitis should be considered as a possible differential diagnosis for dogs with pachymeningeal thickening on magnetic resonance imaging and no identified underlying cause. The prognosis appears to be fair to poor.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22943215/