Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
PET scan shows low brain glucose use in dogs with necrotizing
By Eom, Ki-Dong et al.·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2008·Department of Veterinary Imaging, South Korea·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Positron emission tomography features of canine necrotizing meningoencephalitis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A Yorkshire terrier and a Chihuahua were brought in for sudden seizures and were suspected to have a serious brain condition called necrotizing meningoencephalitis (a type of brain inflammation). MRI scans showed specific brain lesions that confirmed the diagnosis. Unfortunately, both dogs were euthanized due to the severity of their condition, but a special imaging test (FDG-PET) revealed areas in the brain that were not using glucose properly, indicating damage. This study suggests that FDG-PET could help vets diagnose this serious illness in dogs more effectively.
People also search for: dog seizures treatment · Yorkshire terrier brain disease · Chihuahua necrotizing meningoencephalitis
Abstract
A Yorkshire terrier and a Chihuahua were referred for acute onset, generalized tonic-clonic seizures and were suspected to have meningoencephalitis based on magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings. Brain lesions appeared hyperintense with T2-weighted imaging and hypointense with T1-weighted imaging, and were characteristic of necrotizing meningoencephalitis. Both dogs were diagnosed with necrotizing meningoencephalitis based on pathologic findings. Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) was performed on both animals before euthanasia with the permission of the owner. In FDG-PET images, these lesions seen in MR images were characterized by multifocal or diffuse hypometabolism. Our FDG-PET results provided evidence of glucose hypometabolism in areas of necrosis and cavitation associated with necrotizing meningoencephalitis. FDG-PET has the potential to provide valuable diagnostic information in dogs with suspected necrotizing encephalitis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19051653/