Magnetic resonance imaging and clinical findings associated with choroid plexus spinal cord “drop” metastases

A 5 yr old castrated male whippet presented with a unique presentation of ambulatory paraparesis and subsequent diagnosis of primary intracranial choroid plexus carcinoma, with metastases to the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral spinal cord segments. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed initially of the thoracolumbar vertebral column and was followed by MRI sequences of the brain for confirmation of the presence of a primary intracranial tumor. The dog was euthanized immediately following diagnostic imaging due to the severity of clinical signs and poor prognosis. Postmortem examination confirmed the presence of a primary choroid plexus carcinoma, with diffuse metastatic lesions to the spinal cord. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first description of MRI findings of spinal cord metastasis of a choroid plexus carcinoma in a dog. Additionally, this case demonstrates primary clinical signs arising from metastatic lesions. This confirms the importance of extensive neuroimaging investigations when suspecting choroid plexus tumors and evaluating response to treatment regimens