Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Spinal epidural empyema in cats causing paralysis and treatment
By S. Guo & D. Lu·Published in Journal of Small Animal Practice·2018·View original on Semantic Scholar →
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Original publication title: Clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment and outcome of spinal epidural empyema in four cats (2010 to 2016)
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Four cats were brought in for not being able to walk due to a serious condition called spinal epidural empyema, which involves infection in the spinal area. Two cats had imaging tests (myelography and MRI) that helped identify the problem, and bacteria were found in three of the cases. Treatment involved surgery to relieve pressure on the spine along with antibiotics for three of the cats, while one cat was treated with medication alone. All four cats showed good improvement over the following three months, indicating that this condition, though rare, can be effectively treated.
People also search for: cat not walking · spinal infection treatment in cats · cat surgery for spinal problems
Abstract
This case series reviews previous publications and reports four feline spinal epidural empyema cases that presented with non‐ambulatory thoracolumbar myelopathy. Two cats underwent myelography and two MRI. Bacteria were obtained in three cases, in two from epidural abscesses and from a tail base wound in one; histopathological examination of epidural tissue showed pyogranulomatous changes in the remaining cat. Three cats were treated by surgical decompression plus antimicrobial therapy and one cat was treated medically. All cats showed satisfactory improvement following treatment over a follow‐up period of 3 months. Spinal epidural empyema is a rare condition but all cats in this series had favourable outcomes.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Semantic Scholar: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/30387154