Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with spinal cord metastases from brain choroid plexus tumor seen
By Yeamans, Carmen L et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2017·From the University of Glasgow, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Clinical Findings Associated with Choroid Plexus Spinal Cord "Drop" Metastases.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old male whippet was brought in because he was having trouble walking and showed weakness in his back legs. After running tests, including MRI scans, the vet found that he had a primary brain tumor called choroid plexus carcinoma, which had spread to his spinal cord. Sadly, due to the severity of his condition and poor prognosis, the decision was made to euthanize him shortly after the diagnosis. This case highlights the importance of thorough imaging when diagnosing brain tumors in dogs.
People also search for: dog weakness in back legs · whippet brain tumor symptoms · choroid plexus carcinoma in dogs
Abstract
A 5 yr old castrated male whippet presented with a unique presentation of ambulatory paraparesis and subsequent diagnosis of primary intracranial choroid plexus carcinoma, with metastases to the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral spinal cord segments. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed initially of the thoracolumbar vertebral column and was followed by MRI sequences of the brain for confirmation of the presence of a primary intracranial tumor. The dog was euthanized immediately following diagnostic imaging due to the severity of clinical signs and poor prognosis. Postmortem examination confirmed the presence of a primary choroid plexus carcinoma, with diffuse metastatic lesions to the spinal cord. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first description of MRI findings of spinal cord metastasis of a choroid plexus carcinoma in a dog. Additionally, this case demonstrates primary clinical signs arising from metastatic lesions. This confirms the importance of extensive neuroimaging investigations when suspecting choroid plexus tumors and evaluating response to treatment regimens.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28792797/