Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with brain mass causing sudden neurological signs diagnosis
By Harms, N Jane et al.·Published in Veterinary clinical pathology·2009·Department of Veterinary Pathology, Canada·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: What is your diagnosis? Intracranial mass in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 9-year-old spayed female Chihuahua was brought to the vet because she was showing signs of severe neurological issues, including being very lethargic and unable to stand. After running tests, the vet found a large mass in her brain that was likely a type of tumor called a meningioma. Unfortunately, despite the diagnosis, the condition was serious, and the dog did not survive. This case highlights the importance of early detection and evaluation of neurological symptoms in pets.
People also search for: Chihuahua neurological problems · dog brain tumor symptoms · meningioma in dogs treatment
Abstract
A 9-year-old, spayed female Chihuahua was presented for evaluation of acute, progressive neurologic disease. On physical examination the dog was depressed and laterally recumbent. The dog had marked neutrophilia with a toxic left shift and monocytosis. Using computed tomography with contrast enhancement a large intracranial mass lesion was identified in the rostral portion of the brain. The mass extended from the central thalamic region rostral to the cribiform plate and obliterated the lateral ventricles. A fine needle aspirate of the mass contained moderately pleomorphic polygonal cells with many intranuclear cytoplasmic pseudoinclusions (ICPs). The primary differential diagnosis was meningioma, based on cell morphology and the presence of ICPs. At necropsy, the mass was well-demarcated, unencapsulated, and densely cellular. Cells were arranged in papillary projections on fibrovascular stalks, and eosinophilic ICPs and nuclear folding were frequently seen. Cavitated areas of necrosis throughout the tumor mass were filled with intact and degenerated neutrophils. The histopathologic diagnosis was malignant papillary meningioma. ICPs are not frequently observed in Wright-stained cytologic preparations but may be found in many types of neoplasms, including meningiomas.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19351333/