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Updated: May 10, 2026

Intraoperative Ultrasound in Spinal Surgery
Published on: August 17, 2022
Infiltrative lipoma compressing the spinal cord in 2 large-breed dogs
Marc K Hobert1, Christina Brauer, Peter Dziallas
1Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Bünteweg 17, 30559 Hannover, Germany. marc.hobert@googlemail.com
Abstract:
Two cases of infiltrative lipomas compressing the spinal cord and causing nonambulatory paraparesis in 2 large-breed dogs are reported. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed severe extradural spinal cord compression by inhomogenous masses that infiltrated the adjacent tissues and the muscles of the spine in both dogs. The presumptive clinical diagnoses were infiltrative lipomas, which were confirmed by histopathology. In rare cases infiltrative lipomas are able to compress the spinal cord by the agressive growth of invasive adipocytes causing neurological deficits.

