Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Treatment outcomes for cats with brain abscesses or empyema
By Martin, Sophie et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2019·1 Department of Clinical Science and Services, United Kingdom·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 We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above.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: Comparison of medical and/or surgical management of 23 cats with intracranial empyema or abscessation.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 23 cats with serious brain infections called intracranial abscesses or empyema were treated at a veterinary referral center. These cats showed neurological symptoms and were diagnosed using advanced imaging techniques like CT or MRI. Some cats received a combination of surgery and medication, while others were treated with medication alone. The results showed that most cats survived for at least 48 hours after treatment, with those who had surgery living longer on average than those treated with medication alone. This suggests that while surgery can be beneficial, some cats can recover with just medical treatment.
People also search for: cat brain infection treatment · feline intracranial abscess symptoms · cat neurological signs treatment
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Feline intracranial abscessation or empyema is infrequently reported in the veterinary literature. To date, the largest study is based on a population of 19 cats with otogenic infection. The aim of this study was to review a larger population of cats with intracranial empyema from multiple aetiologies and document their signalment, imaging findings, treatment protocols (including medical and/or surgical management) and to compare outcomes. METHODS: Cases presenting to a single referral centre over a 10 year period with compatible history, neurological signs and imaging findings consistent with intracranial abscessation and empyema were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: Twenty-three cats met the inclusion criteria. Advanced imaging (CT and/or MRI) was performed in 22/23 cats; one case was diagnosed via ultrasound. Ten cases underwent medical and surgical management combined, 10 underwent solely medical management and three were euthanased at the time of diagnosis. Short-term outcome showed that 90% of surgically managed and 80% of medically managed cats were alive at 48 h post-diagnosis. Long-term survival showed that surgically managed cases and medically managed cases had a median survival time of 730 days (range 1-3802 days) and 183 days (range 1-1216 days), respectively. No statistical significance in short- or long-term survival ( P >0.05) was found between medically and surgically managed groups. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Feline intracranial abscessation and empyema are uncommon conditions that have historically been treated with combined surgical and medical management. This study documents that, in some cases, intracranial abscessation and empyema can also be successfully treated with medical management alone.
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/30106317/