Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with brain necrosis and seizures seen on MRI
By Mariani, C L et al.·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2001·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Magnetic resonance imaging of cerebral cortical necrosis (polioencephalomalacia) in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 3-year-old mixed breed dog was brought in for severe seizures, weakness in all four legs, and signs of confusion. Tests for infections came back negative, but an MRI of the brain showed damage in specific areas. Although the dog's seizures were managed and her condition improved somewhat, she never fully recovered her normal mental state and was humanely euthanized 10 weeks later. The post-mortem examination revealed severe brain damage that matched the MRI findings.
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Abstract
A 3-year-old neutered female mixed breed dog was examined because of severe, generalized seizure activity, tetraparesis, and encephalopathic signs. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) evaluation was unremarkable except for a mild increase in protein. Serum and CSF titers for infectious diseases were negative. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging examination of the brain was performed and lesions were found within the cerebral gray matter of the temporal and parietal lobes. The lesions had increased signal intensity on T1, T2, and proton density-weighted images. There was mild inhomogeneous enhancement following intravenous contrast medium administration. Neurologic status improved and the seizures were well controlled, but the dog never regained normal mentation and euthanasia was performed 10 weeks after initial evaluation. At necropsy, severe cerebral cortical necrosis was found in the regions corresponding to the lesions seen on MR imaging examination. Large numbers of fat-containing macrophages (gitter cells) were found within these areas, and are thought to be responsible for the characteristic hyperintensity seen on the MR images.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11768520/