Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Inflammatory spinal fluid in cats and what it means
By Singh, M et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2005·Veterinary Specialist Centre, Australia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Inflammatory cerebrospinal fluid analysis in cats: clinical diagnosis and outcome.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 62 cats showing signs of central nervous system issues had their cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analyzed for inflammation. While some cats were diagnosed with conditions like feline infectious peritonitis or lymphoma based on their CSF results, many others remained undiagnosed despite thorough testing. Unfortunately, the overall outlook was not good, with 77% of these cats not surviving beyond a year. If your cat is showing symptoms like seizures, weakness, or changes in behavior, it's important to consult your veterinarian for a thorough evaluation.
People also search for: cat seizures · cat central nervous system disease · cat inflammatory cerebrospinal fluid · cat lymphoma treatment
Abstract
The medical records of 62 cats with clinical signs of central nervous system disease and accompanying inflammatory cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis were examined retrospectively to determine if signalment, clinical signs, CSF analysis and ancillary testing could accurately predict the type of central nervous system disease that was present. An inflammatory CSF was defined as one in which a total nucleated cell count was greater than 5 cells/microl or one in which the total nucleated cell count was normal but the nucleated cell differential count was abnormal. Sex, degree of CSF inflammation, neuroanatomical location and systemic signs provided little contributory information to the final diagnosis. In 63% of the cases a presumptive diagnosis could be made based on a combination of clinical signs, clinicopathological data and ancillary diagnostic tests. CSF analysis alone was useful only in the diagnosis of cats with feline infectious peritonitis, Cryptococcus species infection, lymphoma and trauma. Overall, despite extensive diagnostic evaluation, a specific diagnosis could not be made in 37% of cats. The prognosis for cats with inflammatory CSF was poor with 77% of cats surviving less than 1 year.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15771944/