Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Diagnostic value of cerebrospinal fluid analysis in a population of dogs with suspected idiopathic epilepsy.
- Journal:
- The Veterinary record
- Year:
- 2019
- Authors:
- Coelho, Ana Maria et al.
- Affiliation:
- Dick White Referrals · United Kingdom
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
In this study, researchers looked at 200 dogs that were having seizures but had normal neurological exams, blood tests, and brain scans. They performed a test on the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord, called cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis, to see if it could help identify any underlying issues. They found that 30 of the dogs had some abnormalities in their CSF, but these changes did not seem to relate to the type or frequency of their seizures. The study concluded that testing the CSF in dogs with normal exams and scans who are having seizures is not very helpful for diagnosing problems.
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: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31409750/