Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
MRI brain scan results in epileptic dogs without neurological signs
By Smith, P M et al.·Published in Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)·2008·Department of Veterinary Medicine, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Findings on low-field cranial MR images in epileptic dogs that lack interictal neurological deficits.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with seizures was studied to see if they had any brain problems visible on MRI scans, especially those that didn't show any neurological issues between seizures. In younger dogs under 6 years old, only 1 out of 46 had significant MRI findings, while in older dogs over 6 years, 8 out of 30 showed abnormalities. None of the dogs had a metabolic cause for their seizures. This suggests that MRI scans are less likely to show problems in younger dogs without other symptoms, but they can be helpful for older dogs with seizures.
People also search for: dog seizures causes · MRI for dogs with seizures · why is my dog having seizures · dog neurological problems · treatment for dog seizures
Abstract
Recurrent seizuring is a common neurological problem in dogs and can present diagnostic difficulties for the attending clinician. Associated interictal neurological deficits strongly suggest brain disease but the frequency of structural abnormalities in patients without such deficits is unknown. In this study the prevalence of clinically significant magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) abnormalities was determined in two groups of interictally normal dogs, those younger than 6 years and those older than 6 years of age. In the former group, only 1/46 dogs (2.2%) had significant MRI abnormalities, whereas in the latter group, 8/30 (26.7%) were abnormal. None of the dogs had an identifiable metabolic cause for the seizures. These findings suggest that the diagnostic yield of advanced neuroimaging techniques in young seizuring dogs without interictal neurological deficits is low, but reaffirms their value in similar older individuals.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17499532/