Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Improved symptoms linked to smaller brain ventricles after shunt
By Schmidt, Martin J et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2019·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Association between improvement of clinical signs and decrease of ventricular volume after ventriculoperitoneal shunting in dogs with internal hydrocephalus.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 45 dogs with internal hydrocephalus (a condition where fluid builds up in the brain) underwent a surgery called ventriculoperitoneal shunting (VPS) to help reduce the fluid. After three months, the dogs showed improvement in their symptoms, such as ataxia (loss of coordination) and obtundation (decreased alertness), which were linked to a decrease in the size of the brain's ventricles. The study found that the more the ventricular size decreased, the better the dogs' clinical signs improved. This suggests that VPS can be an effective treatment for dogs suffering from this condition.
People also search for: dog internal hydrocephalus treatment · dog ataxia recovery after surgery · ventriculoperitoneal shunt in dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: One of the remaining questions in treating dogs with internal hydrocephalus is the association between the decrease of ventricular volume and re-expansion of cerebral parenchyma with clinical improvement. HYPOTHESIS: A decrease in ventricular volume and re-expansion of brain tissue occur after ventriculoperitoneal shunting (VPS). Clinical improvement defined by resolution of ≥1 clinical signs is associated with decreased size of cerebral ventricles and that the extent of change in ventricular size is associated with clinical improvement. ANIMALS: Forty-five client-owned dogs with newly diagnosed communicating internal hydrocephalus. METHODS: Ventricular volume, brain volume, and clinical status of dogs that underwent VPS were measured before and 3 months after surgery. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the influence of decrease in ventricular size in addition to the covariates "age of the animal" and "duration of clinical signs before surgery" on improvement of clinical signs. RESULTS: Decreased volume of cerebral ventricles was associated with resolution of ≥1 preoperative clinical sign (P < .003). The covariates "age of the animal" and "duration of clinical signs" were not associated with improvement of clinical signs. The percentage decrease in ventricular size was associated with resolution of ataxia (P = .008) and obtundation (P = .011). CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: The decrease in ventricular volume and increase in brain parenchyma after VPS are associated with improvement in clinical signs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30957934/