# Epidural Inflammatory Pseudotumor in the Cervical Spine: A Case Report of a Bernese Mountain Dog

## TL;DR

A Bernese Mountain dog with a rare spinal tumor-like lesion showed full recovery after surgery, with no recurrence for six years.

## Contribution

This case report presents a rare instance of an epidural inflammatory pseudotumor in a dog and its successful surgical treatment.

## Key findings

- The dog's neurological signs resolved quickly after surgical removal of the tumor.
- No recurrence was observed for six years post-surgery.
- Complete surgical resection may lead to a good prognosis for such tumors.

## Abstract

Inflammatory pseudotumors are tumor-like lesions composed primarily of inflammatory cell infiltrates and fibrosis and are believed to occur in various organs throughout the body. This case report describes the diagnosis, treatment, and clinical outcome of an inflammatory pseudotumor arising epidurally in the cervical spinal cord of a dog. The dog presented with paraplegia of the right anterior and posterior limbs due to an inflammatory pseudotumor arising in the cervical spinal cord. The tumor was assessed by dorsal laminectomy and surgically removed. The dog’s clinical signs resolved quickly, and no signs of recurrence have been observed 6 years later. The preoperative and intraoperative diagnosis was difficult because magnetic resonance imaging and intraoperative cytology failed to identify an inflammatory pseudotumor. Based on the disease course in this case, we infer that the prognosis after surgical resection of inflammatory pseudotumors arising in the spinal epidural region is considered good.

A 3-year, 9-month-old Bernese Mountain dog presented with a 10-day history of acute right hemiparesis. Neurological examination indicated abnormalities in the C1-C5 spinal segments. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed an epidural mass at C3-C4, which was surgically removed after dorsal laminectomy. The neurological signs were completely resolved by the 12th postoperative day. The lesion was diagnosed as an inflammatory pseudotumor on histopathological examination. Another MRI performed 63 days after surgery showed no lesion regrowth, and there has been no recurrence for approximately 6 years. Reports of inflammatory pseudotumors are rare, and their treatment remains unclear. Previous reports and the course of this case suggest that a good prognosis may be achieved if complete surgical resection of an inflammatory pseudotumor arising in the epidural region can be accomplished.