Case report: Magnetic resonance imaging features with postoperative improvement of atypical cervical glioma characterized by predominant extramedullary distribution in a dog

TL;DR

A rare case of a cervical glioma in a dog is reported, where MRI helped guide surgery and led to full recovery.

Contribution

Describes an atypical canine cervical glioma with MRI features and successful postoperative recovery.

Findings

MRI showed a well-defined mass in the cervical spinal cord with features resembling 'golf-tee' and 'dural tail' signs.

Histopathology and genomic testing confirmed the mass as a glioma.

The dog showed full neurological recovery two weeks after surgical removal of the tumor.

Abstract

Intramedullary cord tumors present diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Furthermore, spinal cord tumors can move across compartments, making antemortem diagnosis difficult, even with advanced imaging. This report presents a rare case of a cranial cervical spinal glioma, confirmed by surgical histopathology, with postoperative improvement in a dog.

A 9-year-old female Maltese dog presented with kyphotic posture, progressive left hemiparesis, and decreased appetite. Neurological examination revealed neck pain and decreased proprioception in the left limbs along with intact deep pain perception. Two days later, the patient developed non-ambulatory tetraparesis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed an ovoid, well-defined mass with homogeneously marked contrast enhancement in the second cervical spinal cord that severely compressed the spinal cord. This mass was heterogeneously hyperintense on T2-weighted images and iso-to-hypointense on T1-weighted images, showing an appearance resembling the “golf-tee” and “dural tail” signs. The MRI findings suggested an intradural extramedullary tumor. Intraoperatively, a well-demarcated mass which was locally adherent to the spinal meninges was removed. Both histopathological and genomic tumor tests were indicative of a glioma. Approximately 2 weeks postoperatively, the patient’s neurological signs returned to normal.

This case report describes an atypical cervical glioma with complicated MR characteristics in a dog, where MRI helped guide surgical intervention.

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