Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Inflammatory spinal fluid in cats and what it means for diagnosis
By Singh, M. et al.·Published in Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery·2005·Veterinary Specialist Centre, PO Box 307, North Ryde, NSW 2113, Australia, Australia·View original on Crossref →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
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, like seizures or coordination problems, had their cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analyzed for inflammation. While some cats could be diagnosed with conditions like feline infectious peritonitis or lymphoma based on the CSF results, many did not receive a specific diagnosis despite thorough testing. Unfortunately, the overall outlook was not good, with 77% of these cats living less than a year after diagnosis. This highlights the challenges in diagnosing and treating central nervous system diseases in cats.
People also search for: cat seizures treatment · cat neurological symptoms · feline infectious peritonitis prognosis
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/μl 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.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on Crossref: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfms.2004.07.001