Titanium mesh reconstruction of a dog’s cranium after multilobular osteochondrosarcoma resection

Abstract

An eleven-year-old cavalier King Charles spaniel was presented with a large mass arising from the sagittal crest of the skull. Computed tomography also revealed an intracranial component. A histological diagnosis of multilobular osteochondrosarcoma grade 1 was made from surgical biopsies. Since this tumor type has a moderate aggressive biological behavior characterized by a slow growth, compression of adjacent structures, and only a 30% metastatic rate, surgical resection was performed. A wide partial craniectomy was performed, the skull defect was reconstructed with a designated custom designed titanium mesh and the skin defect closed with a local subdermal plexus flap technique. Histologic evaluation indicated clean surgical margins, which may lead to a long-term survival in this low-grade tumor. Approximately seventeen months after surgical resection, the dog showed no signs of local tumor recurrence or metastasis.