Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
MRI shows brain atrophy in Papillon puppy with neuroaxonal dystrophy
By Tamura, S et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2007·Tamura Animal Clinic, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Magnetic resonance imaging findings of neuroaxonal dystrophy in a papillon puppy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 3.5-month-old papillon puppy was brought to the vet because it was having trouble moving its legs, was unsteady, and had a head tremor. Initial tests, including an MRI, didn’t show any clear issues, but the puppy's condition worsened over time, leading to difficulty swallowing and tongue movement by six months old. A follow-up MRI revealed significant brain atrophy, and sadly, the puppy was euthanized. A tissue examination confirmed the diagnosis of neuroaxonal dystrophy, a serious neurological condition.
People also search for: puppy ataxia symptoms · papillon puppy neurological issues · neuroaxonal dystrophy in dogs · MRI for dog brain problems
Abstract
A 3.5-month-old papillon puppy was brought to our clinic with chief complaints of progressive quadriparesis, ataxia and head tremor. Lesions in the cerebellum, brainstem and spinal cord were suspected on the basis of a neurological examination. No abnormality was found in a clinicopathological examination or on magnetic resonance imaging. On the basis of these results differential diagnoses including an inflammatory disease, a degenerative condition or a storage disorder were considered. Subsequently, the signs progressed and glossoplegia and dysphagia developed at six months of age. At a second magnetic resonance imaging, severe atrophy of the entire brain was found. After these examinations, the puppy was euthanased and histopathologically diagnosed with neuroaxonal dystrophy. Because magnetic resonance imaging detected abnormal features that were characteristic of neuroaxonal dystrophy in this case, we speculate that magnetic resonance imaging can assist in the pre-mortem diagnosis of this disease.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17543020/