Magnetic resonance imaging and histopathology of an optic‐nerve plant foreign body in a dog

A one-year-old neutered female Labradoodle presented with a 24-hour history of lethargy and head tilt. Examination revealed bilateral third-eyelid protrusion, enophthalmos, blepharospasm and conjunctivitis, more pronounced in the right eye (OD), with intermittent right-sided head tilt and right ventral positional strabismus. Subsequently, right uveitis, iris oedema, and pre- and intra-retinal haemorrhages around the optic nerve were developed, with increased intraocular pressure, though vision remained intact. Blood tests and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis were normal. CSF culture and infectious-disease screening were negative. MRI demonstrated partial retinal detachment, optic nerve thickening (Fig 1A), hyperintensity of the extraocular muscles (Fig 1B) and contrast enhancement of the sclera and iris (Fig 1C), consistent with an inflammatory process involving the globe and periocular tissues. Despite a one-week course of marbofloxacin and prednisolone, right eye blindness developed, and enucleation was required. Vitreous cytology suggested a possible bacterial infection. Gross examination identified a thin, linear piece of plant material (~10 mm) within the vitreous chamber. On histopathology, a fragment of plant material embedded within the optic nerve was identified, with associated suppurative bacterial endophthalmitis (Fig 1D), retinal detachment and secondary glaucoma. This case describes the clinical, MRI and histopathological features of a migrating plant foreign body within the optic nerve. The atypical head posture and positional ventral strabismus were likely adaptive responses to enhance vision and mitigate discomfort. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of plant material embedded within the optic nerve. M. M. Dyrka: Conceptualisation, investigations, writing – original draft, validation. G. Hammond: Investigations, writing – review and editing, validation. G. Pepliński: Investigations, writing – review and editing, validation. E. Scurrell: Investigations, writing – review and editing, validation. S. Aarsvold: Investigations, writing – review and editing, validation. M. Pasierbińska: Investigations, writing – review and editing, validation. R. Gutierrez-Quintana: Investigations, writing – review and editing, validation. A. Kaczmarska: Conceptualisation, investigations, writing – original draft, validation, supervision.