Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Scottish Terrier with brain cancer showing no contrast on MRI
By Singh, Jeannine Brunner et al.·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2012·Vesuisse Faculty Bern·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Imaging diagnosis--lack of contrast enhancement in metastatic cerebral adenocarcinoma.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 7-year-old female spayed Scottish Terrier was brought in for symptoms affecting her central nervous system, which suggested a problem in her brain. An MRI showed multiple areas in the forebrain, but surprisingly, there was no contrast enhancement, which usually indicates a tumor. Further testing revealed that she had multiple metastatic lesions from an adenocarcinoma (a type of cancer). The lack of contrast enhancement was puzzling, and while several factors were considered, the exact reason remains unclear. Unfortunately, the prognosis for dogs with brain metastases is often poor, and treatment options may be limited.
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Abstract
A 7-year-old female spayed Scottish Terrier was presented with central nervous system symptoms suggestive of a lesion in the forebrain. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging revealed multifocal disease in the forebrain. Because of complete lack of contrast enhancement, the changes were attributed to lesions of inflammatory origin. Histopathology of the brain revealed multiple metastatic lesions of an adenocarcinoma. Brain metastases in general show contrast enhancement. The reason for a complete absence of contrast enhancement is unknown. Previous administration of corticosteroids, increased diffusion time of contrast medium, increased intracranial pressure in combination with an intact blood-tumor barrier is discussed as possible reasons.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22734151/