Clinical and magnetic resonance imaging findings of a cerebellar medulloblastoma in a heifer

Abstract

Key Clinical MessageReports of medulloblastoma in cattle are scarce; however, this neoplasm should be included as a differential diagnosis in cases of cerebellar or central vestibular signs in young cattle. The MRI appearance of the medulloblastoma reported here, previously unreported in cattle, consisted of a T1‐weighted hypointense and T2‐weighted heterogeneously hyperintense intra‐axial mass.

Case report: Infratentorial Embryonal Tumor with Abundant Neuropil and True Rosettes (ETANTR) in an 8-month-old Maine Coon

“…Embryonal CNS tumors are rarely reported in the veterinary literature ( 13 ). Medulloblastomas have been described in dogs, cattle, pigs, rats, and non-human primates with a single report in cats ( 7 , 8 , 14 – 18 ). Other CNS embryonal tumors are extremely rare and have been described mainly in dogs, with fewer reports in cattle ( 6 , 19 – 21 ).…”

A clinical case of presumed cerebellar medulloblastoma in a Japanese Black calf with increased neuron-specific enolase in cerebrospinal fluid

“…The tumor is highly invasive and spreads to the fourth ventricle and the entire central nervous system [ 13 ]. Although cerebellar medulloblastoma is a relatively rare neoplasia in cattle, several cases have been reported in calves or heifers younger than age 12 months [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 16 , 18 ]. However, no such reports have been published on Japanese Black, a beef cattle of Japanese origin.…”

“…Several case reports of cerebellar medulloblastoma have been reported in cattle breeds such as Holstein Friesian, Aberdeen Angus, Hereford, cross breed of Aberdeen Angus and Hereford, Australian Shorthorn, Flemish, and Brazilian Girolands [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 16 , 18 ]. The present case report is the first to describe a clinical case of presumed cerebellar medulloblastoma in a Japanese Black calf, the major beef cattle breed in Japan.…”

“…The present case report is the first to describe a clinical case of presumed cerebellar medulloblastoma in a Japanese Black calf, the major beef cattle breed in Japan. Although very rare, cerebellar medulloblastoma should be included in the differential diagnosis for Japanese Black calves when symptoms are associated with cerebellar and/or brainstem abnormalities, including lateral recumbency, opisthotonos, and loss of menace response, symptoms most commonly reported in previous studies [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 16 , 18 ].…”

“…In addition to detecting tumor cells in CSF, computed tomography (CT)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can assist in antemortem diagnosis of medulloblastoma in clinical settings [ 4 , 7 ]. Although a recent study reported the use of these methods in diagnosing a heifer with cerebellar medulloblastoma [ 5 ], in reality diagnostic imaging is extremely difficult in large animals, especially in cattle. In the present case, we evaluated the concentration of NSE in CSF and found it to be higher compared to that observed in normal calves.…”