Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Findings on low-field cranial MR images in epileptic dogs that lack interictal neurological deficits.
- Journal:
- Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)
- Year:
- 2008
- Authors:
- Smith, P M et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Veterinary Medicine · United Kingdom
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
In this study, researchers looked at dogs that have seizures but do not show any neurological problems between episodes. They found that in younger dogs under 6 years old, only 1 out of 46 had significant issues visible on MRI scans. However, in older dogs over 6 years old, 8 out of 30 had notable abnormalities. Importantly, none of the dogs had any metabolic issues that could explain their seizures. Overall, the results suggest that advanced imaging like MRI is not very helpful for younger dogs with seizures but can be more useful for older dogs.
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: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17499532/