Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
A Subset of Dogs with Presumptive Idiopathic Epilepsy Show Hippocampal Asymmetry: A Volumetric Comparison with Non-Epileptic Dogs Using MRI.
- Journal:
- Frontiers in veterinary science
- Year:
- 2017
- Authors:
- Estey, Chelsie M et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Clinical Sciences · United States
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Researchers looked at brain scans from 100 dogs with suspected idiopathic epilepsy (a type of seizure disorder) and 41 dogs without seizures to see if there were differences in a part of the brain called the hippocampus. They found that while the overall size of the hippocampus was similar between the two groups, dogs with epilepsy showed more unevenness in the size of their hippocampi compared to non-epileptic dogs. Specifically, about 35% of the dogs with epilepsy had a significant difference in size that could help identify this condition. This suggests that some dogs with epilepsy might have a structural issue in their brains that contributes to their seizures. Overall, the study indicates that hippocampal asymmetry is present in some dogs with this type of epilepsy.
Abstract
MRI-acquired volumetric measurements from 100 dogs with presumptive idiopathic epilepsy (IE) and 41 non-epileptic (non-IE) dogs were used to determine if hippocampal asymmetry exists in the IE as compared to the non-IE dogs. MRI databases from three institutions were searched for dogs that underwent MRI of the brain and were determined to have IE and those that were considered non-IE dogs. Volumes of the right and left hippocampi were measured using Mimicssoftware. Median hippocampal volumes of IE and non-IE dogs were 0.47 and 0.53 cm, respectively. There was no significant difference in overall hippocampal volume between IE and non-IE dogs; however, IE dogs had greater hippocampal asymmetry than non-IE dogs ( < 0.012). A threshold value of 1.16 from the hippocampal ratio had an 85% specificity for identifying IE-associated asymmetry. Thirty five percent of IE dogs had a hippocampal ratio >1.16. Asymmetry was not associated with any particular hemisphere ( = 0.67). Our study indicates that hippocampal asymmetry occurs in a subset of dogs with presumptive idiopathic/genetic epilepsy, suggesting a structural etiology to some cases of IE.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29167797/