Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with spinal lipomeningocele and split spinal cord malformation
By Schulze, Sabine et al.·Published in Tierarztliche Praxis. Ausgabe K, Kleintiere/Heimtiere·2018·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Lipomeningocele associated with diplomyelia in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old male mixed breed dog was brought in for a soft lump on his back and occasional pain in that area. The owner also noticed that he had trouble urinating, often starting and stopping. After imaging, the vet found a spinal defect called a lipomeningocele, which was causing the issues. The dog underwent surgery to remove the mass, and while he initially lost the ability to walk, he started to improve within two weeks and was walking again six weeks later. Two years after the surgery, the dog was back to normal, with no pain and regular urination.
People also search for: dog back lump · dog urination problems · lipomeningocele treatment in dogs · dog spinal surgery recovery · mixed breed dog walking issues
Abstract
A 2-year-old male neutered mixed breed dog with a body weight of 30 kg was presented for evaluation of a soft subcutaneous mass on the dorsal midline at the level of the caudal thoracic spine. A further clinical sign was intermittent pain on palpation of the area of the subcutaneous mass. The owner also described a prolonged phase of urination with repeated interruption and re-initiation of voiding. The findings of the neurological examination were consistent with a lesion localization between the 3rd thoracic and 3rd lumbar spinal cord segments. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a spina bifida with a lipomeningocele and diplomyelia (split cord malformation type I) at the level of thoracic vertebra 11 and 12 and secondary syringomyelia above the aforementioned defects in the caudal thoracic spinal cord. Surgical resection of the lipomeningocele via a hemilaminectomy was performed. After initial deterioration of the neurological status postsurgery with paraplegia and absent deep pain sensation the dog improved within 2 weeks to non-ambulatory paraparesis with voluntary urination. Six weeks postoperatively the dog was ambulatory, according to the owner. Two years after surgery the owner recorded that the dog showed a normal gait, a normal urination and no pain. Histopathological diagnosis of the biopsied material revealed a lipomeningocele which confirmed the radiological diagnosis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30541173/