Presumptive steroid-responsive radiculoneuritis in dogs.

PSRRN should be considered in dogs with diffuse spinal nerve enlargement and chronic monoparesis.

This retrospective case series describes presumptive steroid-responsive radiculoneuritis (PSRRN) in 15 dogs presenting to UK referral centers between 2019-2025. Dogs presented with a mean 8-week duration of lameness and monoparesis, with mean age 50.6 months; 80% were male and German Shepherds were overrepresented. MRI consistently showed contrast-enhancing, T2-weighted, and STIR hyperintense lesions affecting spinal nerves and roots, particularly L7 and T1 nerves. Lumbar cerebrospinal fluid analysis in 5 dogs revealed albuminocytological dissociation in 4 cases. All 15 dogs responded to medical treatment (corticosteroids), though 3 experienced relapse during median 25-month follow-up. The authors emphasize that while MRI findings are suggestive of inflammatory nerve/root disease, they are not pathognomonic and can overlap with neoplastic presentations. PSRRN should be considered in differential diagnoses of diffuse spinal nerve enlargement with chronic monoparesis, highlighting the importance of distinguishing inflammatory from neoplastic etiologies for prognostic and therapeutic purposes.

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