Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
German shepherd dog with split spinal cord seen on MRI
By Allett, Brian et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2012·Advanced Veterinary Medical Imaging, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: MRI of a split cord malformation in a German shepherd dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 9-year-old spayed female German shepherd was brought in for an MRI because she was having trouble controlling her bladder. The MRI revealed a type II split cord malformation, which is a spinal issue where part of the spinal cord is split into two sections. This condition was likely causing her bladder problems. While the study didn't mention specific treatments, understanding the condition can help your veterinarian determine the best management plan for similar cases.
People also search for: German shepherd bladder problems · dog split cord malformation · chronic bladder dysfunction in dogs
Abstract
A 9 yr old spayed female German shepherd dog was referred for MRI of the thoracic and lumbar spine because she had clinical signs of chronic neurogenic bladder dysfunction of an unknown cause. Transverse T2-weighted images identified a type II split cord malformation (i.e., diastematomyelia) in the thoracic spine. Split cord malformations are forms of spinal dysraphism where the abnormal development of spinal cord results in sagittal splitting of a portion of the cord into two hemicords. The location of the lesion in the thoracic spine was consistent with the dog's clinical signs of an upper motor neuron bladder. Split cord malformations that occur in humans have similar MRI characteristics and can result in similar clinical signs as those identified in the dog described in this report.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22843830/