Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with recurring spinal tumor regains movement after second surgery
By Sumner, J P & Simpson, D J·Published in Australian veterinary journal·2007·Animal Referral Hospital, Australia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Surgical management of a recurrent spinal meningioma in a cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 13-year-old male neutered Persian crossbred cat was brought in for hindlimb weakness, difficulty walking, and urinary incontinence that had worsened over three months. After tests showed a mass pressing on the spinal cord, the vet performed surgery to remove it, identifying it as a type of tumor called a meningioma. The cat regained the ability to walk and control his bladder after the first surgery, but the symptoms returned two more times over the next few years, leading to additional surgeries. Each time, the cat recovered well and was able to walk and use the litter box normally for many months afterward.
People also search for: cat hindlimb weakness · cat urinary incontinence treatment · cat spinal tumor surgery
Abstract
A 13-year-old male neutered Persian crossbred cat was evaluated for hindlimb paresis, ataxia and urinary incontinence that had been progressing over the previous 3 months. Neurologically, the cat had thoracolumbar spinal cord deficits and a myelogram detected the presence of a mass compressing the thoracic spinal cord. A hemilaminectomy was performed to excise the soft tissue mass, subsequently identified histologically as a psammomatous meningioma. The cat regained ambulatory function and continence following surgery until a recurrence of paresis and ataxia 36 months later. A second myelogram suggested local recurrence of the tumour, which was confirmed by histological examination of the tumour after its removal at a second laminectomy. The cat again regained normal neurological function, until a further recurrence 16 months after the second surgery. The meningioma was surgically debulked a third time and the cat regained ambulation and continence postoperatively. This case demonstrates the successful use of repeated surgical resection in the management of a recurrent spinal meningioma in a cat. The cat was ambulatory and continent at a follow-up examination 63 months after the initial presentation.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17615041/