Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How well neurological tests find forebrain brain lesions in dogs
By Chan, M K & Jull, P·Published in Australian veterinary journal·2020·The VSCAN, Canada·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Accuracy of selected neurological clinical tests in diagnosing MRI-detectable forebrain lesion in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with suspected brain issues underwent neurological tests to see how well they could identify forebrain lesions, which are abnormalities detected by MRI. The study included 145 dogs, and common tests like menace response and proprioceptive placing were found to be somewhat helpful, especially in older dogs. However, the accuracy of these tests was not very high, meaning they should be used alongside other diagnostic methods and the dog's history for a better assessment. Ultimately, while these tests can provide some insights, they are not reliable enough on their own to confirm a diagnosis.
People also search for: dog brain lesion symptoms · neurological tests for dogs · MRI for dog brain problems
Abstract
This retrospective case study aims to evaluate the accuracy of menace response, response to nasal stimulation and proprioceptive placing in diagnosing forebrain lesion in dogs. A total of 145 client-owned dogs investigated by magnetic resonance imaging study of the brain between December 2017 and June 2019 were evaluated. Seventy-one dogs with no magnetic resonance imaging-detectable intracranial and significant cerebrospinal fluid abnormality or recent history of seizure (<48 h) served as controls. Binary regression analysis was performed to determine the sensitivity, specificity and likelihood ratios of each selected test. Older age at presentation was a significant risk factor for the presence of a forebrain lesion. Menace (62.5%) and proprioceptive deficits (40.5%) were common findings in all dogs. They were also significantly associated with the presence of forebrain abnormality. Moreover, they were more sensitive (77.3% and 82.2%, respectively) and specific (50.0% and 62.5%, respectively) when applied to dogs aged 6 years or older. Nonetheless, all of these tests' likelihood ratios, and thus reliability are poor. These neurological tests are commonly employed for diagnosing forebrain disease in dogs, yet are not highly accurate in diagnosing forebrain abnormality. Clinicians should interpret these clinical test results along with the patient history when designing a diagnostic plan.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32671818/