Infiltrative Lipoma in Cervical Bones in a Dog

Abstract

ABSTRACT. A 4-year-old, neutered male Maltese presented with a 2-month history of right hemiparesis. The radiographic findings revealed bone lysis, and sclerotic changes in the right section of the fifth and sixth cervical bones with a mild radiolucent mass around the lesion. The magnetic resonance imaging revealed a hyperintense mass located in the region extending from the muscles to the bones and compressing the spinal cord. The mass was removed via a hemilaminectomy in the cervical area using the ventral and dorsal approach, and a histological examination confirmed that it was adipose tissue. An infiltrative lipoma was diagnosed based on these findings. The dog has ambulated normally for 24 months since undergoing surgery. KEY WORDS: canine, infiltrative lipoma, spinal cord.

CT and MRI Imaging Diagnosis of Epidural Idiopathic Sterile Pyogranulomatous Inflammation in a Dog Spinal Canal

“…Differential diagnoses for an MR image like that in the present case in which T1-and T2-weighted images showed hyperintense signals include hemorrhage, hematoma, and fatty tissue [1,[3][4][5][6]8]. Of these, a fat suppression image may be useful to distinguish the involvement of adipose tissue amongst other possible etiologies [2,[4][5][6]. In addition, CT was also a powerful tool in this case in determination of a fatty mass, because the only substance other than adipose tissue that demonstrates negative Hounsfield unit values is air [1,4].…”

“…It is relatively easy for a surgeon to remove the mass, if it is confined to the vertebral canal, as in cases of pyogranulomatous inflammation [1]. Although the prognosis is good for dogs in whom infiltrative lipomas are completely removed, complete excision is difficult, because the mass originates from the muscle and infiltrates the spinal canal [2,4,5]. The images reported here demonstrate the utility of CT and MR imaging for diagnosis of pyogranulomatous inflammation in the spinal canal.…”

“…Because MR imaging provides the best definition of soft tissue, the muscle around T11 showed no changes. Moreover, because fat suppression techniques are useful in ascertaining the fatty characteristics of a mass [2,[4][5][6], the mass lesion in the present case was exactly defined by a fat suppression technique. Differential diagnoses for an MR image like that in the present case in which T1-and T2-weighted images showed hyperintense signals include hemorrhage, hematoma, and fatty tissue [1,[3][4][5][6]8].…”

“…To thoroughly examine the fatty tissue, both CT and MR images are useful for distinct reasons. An MR image can clearly indicate the border between the fatty tissue and other soft tissue components [2,5,6]. A CT image, however, is also able to detect fatty infiltration in the muscle area around the spinal cord as negative Hounsfield unit values [4,6].…”

The role of B-mode ultrasonography in the musculoskeletal anatomical evaluation of the cervical region of the dog spine

“…The neck region can be affected by different conditions that involve soft and osseous tissues, as by infectious (Holloway et al 2009), neoplastic (Kim et al 2005, Forterre et al 2006, Bagley 2010) and congenital (Santos 2008, Cerda-Gonzalez & Dewey 2010 diseases.…”