Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with plant stem stuck from throat to spine causing paralysis
By Laifer, Jeffrey et al.Ā·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital AssociationĀ·2021Ā·View original on PubMed ā
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Original publication title: Multimodal Imaging Characteristics of a Migrating Oropharyngeal-Spinal Foreign Body in a Cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 2.5-year-old female domestic shorthair cat was brought to the vet because she was weak in all four legs, seemed dull, and had a fever. Imaging tests like MRI and CT scans revealed a thin plant stem lodged in her throat that had caused significant inflammation and swelling in her neck. Unfortunately, despite the findings, the cat's condition was severe, and she was euthanized. A postmortem examination confirmed the presence of the plant material causing the issues.
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Abstract
A 2.5 yr old female spayed domestic shorthair presented for acute tetraparesis, dull mentation, and fever. MRI and computed tomography identified a thin linear foreign body extending from the caudal nasopharynx through the atlanto-occipital joint and cervicomedullary junction. Signal changes within the musculature were consistent with myositis, edema, and abscessation. Inflammation and edema surrounded the foreign body, and a dorsal cervical myelopathy extended caudally to the level of C6. Computed tomography attenuation values of the foreign body were most consistent with plant material. Euthanasia was performed; postmortem dissection of the soft palate confirmed a plant stem with abscess.
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Search related cases āOriginal publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33770155/