Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How cerebrospinal fluid tests help diagnose epilepsy in dogs
By Coelho, Ana Maria et al.·Published in The Veterinary record·2019·Dick White Referrals, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Diagnostic value of cerebrospinal fluid analysis in a population of dogs with suspected idiopathic epilepsy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with suspected epilepsy were tested with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis to see if it could help diagnose their condition. Out of 200 dogs, 30 had abnormal CSF results, but these abnormalities did not seem to relate to the type or frequency of their seizures. The study found that CSF analysis had low diagnostic value for dogs with normal neurological exams and brain MRIs. In the end, only one dog was diagnosed with a condition other than suspected idiopathic epilepsy.
People also search for: dog seizures diagnosis · cerebrospinal fluid test for dogs · idiopathic epilepsy in dogs
Abstract
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis is commonly used in the diagnostic investigation of seizure disorders in order to exclude possible inflammatory underlying aetiology. The medical records were searched for dogs presenting with epileptic seizures (ES) that had normal interictal neurological examination, normal complete blood count and biochemistry analysis, unremarkable MRI of the brain and had CSF analysis performed as part of the diagnostic investigation. A total of 200 dogs met the inclusion criteria. The CSF was abnormal in 30 dogs with a median total nucleated cell count of two cells/µl (IQR 1.5-6) and median protein concentration of 0.37 g/l (IQR 0.31-0.41). Pleocytosis was recorded in 14/30 dogs and the CSF protein was increased in 22/30. There was no correlation between abnormal CSF and the type or number of seizures or the time interval between the last seizure and CSF collection. A significant correlation was found between the number of red blood cells on CSF and having an abnormal CSF. The prevalence of having a diagnosis other than suspected idiopathic epilepsy (IE) was 0.5 per cent (1/200). These results suggest that performing CSF analysis in dogs with recurrent ES that have normal interictal neurological examination and unremarkable MRI has a low diagnostic value.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31409750/