Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Intramedullary epidermoid cyst in a dog's thoracic spine
By Lipitz, Lisa et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2011·Department of Medical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Intramedullary epidermoid cyst in the thoracic spine of a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old female spayed mastiff was brought to the vet after experiencing weakness in her back legs and incontinence for about three to four months, with a sudden worsening of symptoms over the last three days. An MRI revealed a cyst in her spinal cord at the ninth thoracic vertebra. The cyst was diagnosed as an intramedullary epidermoid cyst, which is a type of growth that can affect the spinal cord. While the abstract does not specify treatment details or outcomes, it's important for pet owners to discuss potential treatment options with their veterinarian if similar symptoms arise.
People also search for: dog back leg weakness · mastiff incontinence treatment · spinal cyst in dogs
Abstract
A 5 yr old female spayed mastiff was evaluated for a 3-4 mo history of paraparesis and 3 days of acutely worse paraparesis and incontinence. On magnetic resonance imaging, a spinal cord lesion was present at the ninth thoracic vertebra. The lesion was hyperintense on T2-weighted images (T2-W), and a hyperintense rim was present on T1-weighted postcontrast images. Histologic examination showed a cystic mass lined by squamous epithelial cells. Histopathologic diagnosis was an intramedullary epidermoid spinal cyst. Epidermoid cyst should be a differential diagnosis in young dogs with a myelopathy and an intramedullary spinal cord lesion on magnetic resonance imaging examination.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22058362/