Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cerebral microbleeds found on brain MRI in dogs and what they mean
By Kerwin, S C et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2017·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Putative Cerebral Microbleeds in Dogs Undergoing Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Head: A Retrospective Study of Demographics, Clinical Associations, and Relationship to Case Outcome.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 582 dogs underwent brain MRI, and 54 of them were found to have small areas of bleeding in the brain called putative microbleeds (pMBs). These dogs were generally older and smaller and often showed signs of balance issues. Interestingly, dogs with pMBs had a higher chance of having protein in their urine, which can indicate kidney problems. Unfortunately, these dogs also had a shorter survival time compared to those without pMBs. This suggests that finding pMBs during an MRI could be a sign of more serious health issues.
People also search for: dog brain MRI results · dog balance problems · protein in urine in dogs · dog kidney disease symptoms · dog survival time with brain issues
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) are focal intraparenchymal signal voids on gradient-echo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), corresponding to regions of chronic hemorrhage. In humans, they are associated with systemic disease and shorter survival times. Although similar findings have been identified in dogs, their epidemiology and clinical correlations have not been investigated. OBJECTIVE: To determine epidemiological features, clinical associations, and associations with outcome for putative CMB-like foci (putative microbleeds [pMBs]) identified by T2*-weighted MRI in dogs. ANIMALS: Five hundred and eighty-two dogs undergoing 3T brain MRI between 2011 and 2016. METHODS: Retrospective case-control study. Demographic, diagnostic, and clinicopathological data were obtained from medical records and phone follow-up. Demographic variables were compared between dogs with and without evidence of pMBs. For dogs with such evidence, and a subset of matched controls, associations with clinical presentation, concurrent disease, and survival times were evaluated. RESULTS: Dogs with pMBs were older (P < .001) and smaller (P = .004) than unaffected dogs. Compared to matched controls, they presented more frequently for vestibular signs (P = .030). Cortical atrophy occurred concurrently with pMBs in 26% (14/54) of dogs. Diagnosed renal disease was not significantly associated with pMBs, but proteinuria was more common in dogs with pMBs than in matched controls (odds ratio = 3.01, P = .005). Dogs with pMBs had a shorter median survival time than did matched controls (P = .011). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Putative microbleeds occurred in 54 of 582 (9.3%) of dogs undergoing brain MRI, but may not be a normal consequence of aging. They were associated with shorter survival time and proteinuria in the study population.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28556471/