Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with recurring spinal cyst causing urinary issues and unsteady
By Schmidt, Martin J et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2007·Small Animal Clinic, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Recurrent spinal arachnoid cyst in a cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 12-year-old cat experienced repeated episodes of urinary incontinence and trouble walking due to a spinal arachnoid cyst, which is a rare fluid-filled sac in the spinal canal. After surgery to remove the cyst two years earlier, the symptoms returned, prompting further investigation that confirmed the cyst had come back. The cat underwent another surgery to remove the cyst, followed by intensive physical therapy, and ultimately made a good recovery.
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Abstract
Spinal arachnoid cysts (SACs) are uncommon expanding lesions in the spinal canal. They are rarely diagnosed in dogs, and there are only four published cases in cats. We report a case of a 12-year-old cat with recurrent signs of intermittent urinary incontinence and hind limb ataxia 2 years after surgical marsupialisation of a spinal arachnoid cyst at T11/12. Recurrence of a cyst was diagnosed by myelography. Repeated marsupialisation after laminectomy was successful and the cat recovered satisfactorily although intensive physical therapy was necessary. SACs are very rare in cats and seem to occur mainly as a secondary lesion to spinal and meningeal trauma or irritation due to bony changes of the vertebrae.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17618156/