Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Persistent soft spots linked to brain and neck issues in Chihuahuas
By Kiviranta, Anna-Mariam et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2021·Department of Equine and Small Animal Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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 We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above.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: Persistent fontanelles in Chihuahuas. Part II: Association with craniocervical junction abnormalities, syringomyelia, and ventricular volume.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of Chihuahuas was studied to see if persistent fontanelles (soft spots on the skull) were linked to other health issues like syringomyelia (a condition where fluid-filled cavities form in the spinal cord) and brain enlargement. The results showed that Chihuahuas with lower body weight, larger brain ventricles, and more severe compression of brain tissue at the craniocervical junction had more and larger fontanelles. Additionally, those with syringomyelia had a higher number of affected cranial sutures. This suggests that if your Chihuahua has persistent fontanelles, it may be worth discussing these potential health concerns with your vet.
People also search for: Chihuahua persistent fontanelles · syringomyelia in Chihuahuas · Chihuahua brain problems · small dog skull issues · Chihuahua health concerns
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Persistent fontanelles (PFs) are, in Chihuahuas, almost ubiquitous. Furthermore, Chihuahuas are predisposed to other craniomorphological abnormalities, including syringomyelia (SM), ventriculomegaly, and craniocervical junction (CCJ) overcrowding resulting in neural tissue deviation. It is, however, undetermined if PFs are more common in dogs with these structural abnormalities, and their etiology is unknown. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: Persistent fontanelles are more numerous and larger in Chihuahuas with low body weight, older age, SM, dilated fourth ventricle, ventriculomegaly, and CCJ overcrowding. ANIMALS: Fifty client-owned Chihuahuas. METHODS: Cross-sectional study evaluating the association of both the number of cranial sutures affected by PFs (NAS) and total fontanelle area (TFA), based on computed tomography with SM, fourth ventricle dilatation, lateral ventricle volume, and extent of neural tissue compression at the CCJ based on magnetic resonance images. RESULTS: The NASs was higher and TFA larger in dogs with low body weight (NAS: P = .007; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.384-0.861; TFA: P = .002; 95% CI = -1.91 to -0.478), larger lateral ventricles (NAS: P ≤ .001; 95% CI = 1.04-1.15; TFA: P ≤ .001; 95% CI = 0.099-0.363), and more severe neural tissue compression at the CCJ (NAS: P ≤ .001; 95% CI = 1.26-2.06; TFA: P = .03; 95% CI = 0.066-1.13). Similarly, dogs with SM (NAS: P = .004; 95% CI = 1.26-3.32; TFA: mean ± SD, 130 ± 217 mm; P = .05) had higher NAS and larger TFA than did dogs without SM (43.7 ± 61.0 mm). Age was not associated with NAS (P = .81; 95% CI = 0.989-1.01) or TFA (P = .33; 95% CI = -0.269 to 0.092). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Persistent fontanelles are associated with small size, SM, ventriculomegaly, and CCJ overcrowding.
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 PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33939205/