Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with brain cyst in fourth ventricle treated successfully
By Isabel Liñan Grana et al.·Published in The Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2024·View original on Semantic Scholar →
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Original publication title: Successful Surgical Resection of an Ependymal Cyst in the Fourth Ventricle of a Dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 6-year-old male American Staffordshire Terrier was brought in for incoordination and collapsing episodes that had been happening for four months. After a brain scan, the vet found a cyst in the dog's brain that was causing these symptoms. Initially, the dog was treated with prednisone, but when the symptoms returned, surgery was performed to remove the cyst. The surgery was successful, and four and a half years later, the dog is mostly back to normal, only experiencing occasional balance issues when turning quickly.
People also search for: dog incoordination treatment · American Staffordshire Terrier brain cyst · dog surgery for brain issues
Abstract
Ependymal cysts represent congenital brain malformations rarely described in human medicine, where surgical resection is the treatment of choice. In veterinary medicine, only three cases have been previously reported, with one partially resected with surgery. A 6 yr old entire male American Staffordshire terrier was referred with a 4 mo history of incoordination and collapsing episodes with extensor rigidity. Neurological examination localized the lesion to the left central vestibular system and cerebellum. A brain computed tomography scan showed a hypoattenuating lesion with peripheral contrast enhancement in the fourth ventricle consistent with a cyst and secondary hydrocephalus. Treatment with prednisone was initiated, but despite an initial improvement, neurologic signs recurred and a suboccipital craniectomy to remove the cyst was performed. The cyst was first drained, and the capsule was carefully resected. The histopathological evaluation revealed a simple cubic to cylindrical epithelium with apical cilia and loose surrounding fibrillar tissue consistent with an intraventricular ependymal cyst. Four and a half years after surgery, the dog only shows short episodes of balance loss when turning abruptly but is otherwise neurologically normal. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first reported ependymal cyst in the fourth ventricle of a dog with successful surgical resection.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Semantic Scholar: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/38175980