Description of a poorly differentiated carcinoma within the brainstem of a white whale ( Delphinapterus leucas ) from magnetic resonance images and histological analysis

In this study we used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to investigate neuroanatomical structure in the brain of a white whale ( Delphinapterus leucas ) that died from a large tumor within the brainstem. This specimen was also compared with a normal white whale brain using MRI. MRI scans of the white whale specimen show how the tumor deformed surrounding brain structure. Histopathological analysis indicated a poorly differentiated carcinoma of uncertain origin. These analyses demonstrate the usefulness of supplementing histological analyses of pathology with studies of gross morphology facilitated by MRI. Anat Rec 268:441–449, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.