Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Chronic compressive myelopathy and progressive neurologic signs associated with melarsomine dihydrochloride administration in a dog.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association
- Year:
- 2013
- Authors:
- Moore, Sarah A et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences · United States
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 7-year-old neutered male Great Dane started having worsening problems with his movement about two months after receiving a melarsomine dihydrochloride injection, which is a medication often used to treat heartworm. An MRI scan showed that he had abscesses, which are pockets of infection, near his spine. Despite trying medical treatments, his condition got worse, and he needed surgery to relieve the pressure on his spinal cord. After the surgery, he showed a quick improvement in his symptoms. The tests on the tissue from the abscesses did not show any bacteria, suggesting that the inflammation causing his issues was not due to an infection. Overall, the treatment worked well, leading to a significant recovery.
Abstract
A 7 yr old castrated male Great Dane presented with a history of progressive myelopathy following the intramuscular injection of melarsomine dihydrochloride 8 wk previously. MRI revealed paraspinal and epidural abscesses at the 13th thoracic (T13) and first lumbar (L1) disc space. The dog's condition worsened despite medical management, necessitating surgical decompression. Surgical decompression resulted in rapid improvement of the patient's clinical signs. Histopathologic evaluation of the lesions revealed pyogranulomatous inflammation. Cultures of fluid and tissue within the lesions were negative for bacterial growth, and no infectious organisms were visualized histologically. Melarsomine-associated neurologic signs can be chronic and progressive in nature, presumably secondary to ongoing sterile inflammation that may result in spinal cord compression.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24051262/