Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Peritumoral MRI findings and brain herniations in epileptic dogs with prosencephalic brain tumors: a multicentre retrospective study.
- Journal:
- Frontiers in veterinary science
- Year:
- 2025
- Authors:
- Tabbì, Marco et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Veterinary Sciences · Italy
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
This study looked at 80 dogs with brain tumors that were causing seizures, focusing on how these tumors might lead to brain herniations, which is when parts of the brain move into areas where they shouldn't be. The researchers found that most of the dogs had swelling around the tumor and pressure on the brain's fluid-filled spaces. They also noted that certain types of brain herniation were common, particularly subfalcine herniation and caudal transtentorial herniation. The study suggests that these MRI findings could help predict the likelihood of seizures in dogs with these tumors. Overall, the results highlight the importance of MRI in understanding the condition of dogs with seizure-related brain tumors.
Abstract
Prosencephalic brain tumors (PBTs) are frequently associated with epileptic seizure in dogs, yet the incidence and characteristics of brain herniations (BHs) in this context remain poorly described. This multicentre retrospective study aimed to evaluate the incidence and distribution of BHs and other associated MRI findings in 80 dogs presenting with epileptic seizures secondary to PBTs. MRI studies were assessed for peritumoral edema, lateral ventricular compression, midline shift (MS), subfalcine herniation (SH), caudal transtentorial herniation (CTH), foramen magnum herniation (FMH), and displacement of the quadrigeminal lamina (DQL). Peritumoral edema and lateral ventricular compression were observed in 85 and 77.5% of cases, respectively. MS was observed in 87.5% of cases. SH and CTH were the most common BHs, present in over 75 and 31% of cases, respectively. DQL was observed in 57% of cases, including dogs with tumors anatomically distant from the midbrain. Although tumor volume did not significantly differ between groups, larger lesions were positively correlated with the presence of edema, lateral ventricular compression and laminar displacement. These findings demonstrate that MRI features reflecting mass effect-particularly peritumoral edema, MS, and specific types of BHs-are highly prevalent in dogs with seizure-associated PBTs and may contribute to epileptic seizures generation. The MRI features identified in this study may have prognostic value for potential epileptic seizures development, and should therefore be considered during the clinical evaluation of affected dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41049151/