Unusually slow progression of a high-grade intramedullary oligodendroglioma in a dog: serial magnetic resonance imaging findings and clinical course over two years.

High-grade intramedullary oligodendrogliomas may progress unusually slowly; serial MRI is essential for monitoring suspected spinal neoplasia.

This case report describes an unusually protracted clinical course in a 7.5-year-old spayed female French Bulldog with a high-grade intramedullary oligodendroglioma of the spinal cord. The dog initially presented with back pain following a jump from a couch, which failed to resolve with conservative management. MRI revealed an intramedullary mass with characteristic features including T2 hyperintensity, T1 iso- to hypointensity, STIR hyperintensity, strong rim enhancement, and central suppression on post-contrast T2-FLAIR sequences — a pattern suggestive of a glial cell neoplasm. Despite the suspected malignant etiology, the dog experienced clinical improvement with palliative treatment and survived for over two years before follow-up MRI demonstrated progressive lesion enlargement and newly developed multiseptated regions. Histopathology ultimately confirmed high-grade oligodendroglioma. This case is notable for several reasons: it illustrates that intramedullary spinal cord tumors, even when high-grade, may exhibit atypically slow biological progression; it highlights the diagnostic value of serial MRI in monitoring lesion evolution; and it demonstrates the utility of specific MRI sequences — particularly post-contrast T2-FLAIR — in characterizing intramedullary masses. Clinicians should be aware that clinical stabilization or improvement with palliative care does not exclude an underlying neoplastic process, and that long-term imaging follow-up is warranted when MRI findings are suspicious for spinal cord neoplasia.

This summary was distilled by AI and may occasionally misinterpret data. Confirm critical details with the primary literature before clinical application.