Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2017 Feb 28;13(1):63.
doi: 10.1186/s12917-017-0983-x.

Restored vision in a young dog following corticosteroid treatment of presumptive hypophysitis

Nina Marie Rzechorzek  1   2 , Tiziana Liuti  3 , Catherine Stalin  4 , Katia Marioni-Henry  3
Affiliations
Case Reports

Restored vision in a young dog following corticosteroid treatment of presumptive hypophysitis

Nina Marie Rzechorzek et al. BMC Vet Res. .

Abstract

Background: Hypophysitis is an umbrella term for a group of disorders involving inflammation of the pituitary gland. A rare occurrence in humans, hypophysitis can produce a range of clinical signs including (but not limited to) visual deficits and diabetes insipidus. Only five cases of canine hypophysitis exist in the literature, all presenting in mature dogs with no visual deficits and a grave outcome. This case report describes the clinical and advanced imaging features of blindness-inducing presumptive hypophysitis in a dog, which rapidly resolved with medical management.

Case presentation: A 1-year-and-seven-month-old neutered male Standard Poodle presented with subacute blindness, ataxia, and polyuria/polydipsia (PUPD). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) detected a contrast-enhancing pituitary mass with perilesional oedema compromising the optic chiasm. Suspecting neoplasia, anti-inflammatory corticosteroid was commenced prior to radiation therapy planning. Complete resolution of neurological and visual deficits occurred within 12 days of starting steroid treatment. Repeated advanced imaging indicated macroscopic resolution of the lesion. An extended thyroid panel with insulin-like growth factor-1 analysis supported a diagnosis of hypophysitis. Resolution of PUPD was achieved with tapering courses of prednisolone and desmopressin; the dog has since been clinically normal for 14 months and treatment-free for 11 months.

Conclusions: To the authors' knowledge, this is the first instance in which a canine pituitary mass has demonstrated long-term resolution with palliative medical treatment alone, alongside reversal of associated blindness and presumptive diabetes insipidus. We suspect this lesion to be a form of hypophysitis, which should be included among differential diagnoses for pituitary masses, and for subacute blindness in dogs. Where possible, we advocate biopsy-confirmation of hypophysitis prior to timely intervention with anti-inflammatory treatment.

Keywords: Central blindness; Hypophysitis; Insulin-like growth factor-1; Magnetic resonance imaging; Pituitary tumour; Standard Poodle.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Transverse T2w, T1w, FLAIR and T1w post-contrast (a, b, c, d) and sagittal T1w post-contrast (e) magnetic resonance images through the pituitary fossa. Note, in all sequences, the enlarged pituitary gland (white arrow) with associated perilesional brain oedema (black arrow) in the FLAIR image (c). Note the avid contrast enhancement of the enlarged pituitary gland on T1w transverse and sagittal post-contrast images (d, e). Images were acquired with a 1.5 T Magneton Essenza MRI scanner
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Transverse T2w, T1w, FLAIR and T1w post-contrast (a, b, c, d) and sagittal T1w post-contrast (e) magnetic resonance images through the pituitary fossa. Note, in all sequences, the normal appearance of the pituitary gland in the pituitary fossa; pituitary height was 4 mm. Note the contrast enhancement of the normal pituitary gland (white arrow) on T1w sagittal post contrast image (e). Images were acquired with a 1.5 T Philips Burgess Diagnostic MRI scanner
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Wisner ER, Zwingenberger AL:. Section 2.2.9 Sellar and Parasellar Region. In: Wisner ER, Zwingenberger AL. Atlas of Small Animal CT and MRI. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons; 2015. p. 244–263.
    1. Withrow SJ, Vail DM, Page RL. Withrow & MacEwen’s Small Animal Clinical Oncology. Fifth Edition. Philadelphia: Saunders, Elsevier Inc; 2013. pp. 189–190 and 504–505.
    1. Gutenberg A, Hans V, Puchner MJ, Kreutzer J, Brück W, Caturegli P, et al. Primary hypophysitis: clinical-pathological correlations. Eur J Endocrinol. 2006;155:101–107. doi: 10.1530/eje.1.02183. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Oliveira M, Polledo L, Adamany J, Wessmann A, Graham P, Dhumeaux M, et al. Hypophysitis in a Scottish Terrier with associated panhypopituitarism and hypothalamitis mimicking a pituitary gland neoplasia. Proceedings of the 29th Annual Symposium of the European Society of Veterinary Neurology and European College of Veterinary Neurology. 2016 September 15 to 17, Edinburgh, UK, p. 41–42.
    1. Meij BP, Voorhout G, Gerritsen RJ, Grinwis GC, Ijzer J. Lymphocytic hypophysitis in a dog with diabetes insipidus. J Comp Pathol. 2012;147:503–7. doi: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2012.04.006. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

Substances