Primary malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors arising from the spinal canal invading the abdominal cavity in a dog.

A 9-year-old neutered male Wire Fox Terrier presented with an 1-month history of hindlimb paresis. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a contrast-enhanced mass at the level of the L2 vertebral canal. The dog became paraplegic with no deep perception of the hindlimbs, and the mass was surgically removed. The histopathological diagnosis was of a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST). The dog suffered a relapse of right hindlimb ataxia at 225 days after the surgery. The dog died 434 days after the surgery. Necropsy found a large mass in the abdominal cavity invading from the L2-nerve. This is the first report of MPNST invading the abdominal cavity through the nerve root. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]