Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
IMAGING DIAGNOSIS - UNILATERAL TRIGEMINAL NEURITIS MIMICKING PERIPHERAL NERVE SHEATH TUMOR IN A HORSE.
- Journal:
- Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association
- Year:
- 2016
- Authors:
- Beltran, Elsa et al.
- Affiliation:
- Royal Veterinary College · United Kingdom
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 16-year-old Warmblood gelding was brought in because he had a corneal ulcer in his left eye that wasn't healing and he couldn't feel anything in that eye. The veterinarians thought there might be an issue with the left trigeminal nerve, which is responsible for sensation in the face. An MRI showed that this nerve was swollen, and at first, they suspected it might be a tumor. However, further testing revealed that the problem was actually due to inflammation of the nerve, not a tumor. This means that while the MRI suggested a serious issue, the actual diagnosis was a less severe condition that can still cause significant nerve swelling.
Abstract
A 16-year old Warmblood gelding presented with a nonhealing corneal ulcer and absent corneal sensation in the left eye. A lesion affecting the maxillary and ophthalmic branches of the left trigeminal nerve was suspected. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging identified marked thickening of the ophthalmic and maxillary branches of the left trigeminal nerve. The nerve was iso- to hypointense on T1-weighted and T2-weighted images with heterogeneous enhancement. A peripheral nerve sheath tumor was suspected, however granulomatous neuritis was histopathologically confirmed. These inflammatory changes can result in severe nerve enlargement and should be considered with MR findings suggestive of peripheral nerve sheath tumor.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26059945/