Brain blood flow changes in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy seen on MRI

Abstract

OBJECTIVE To quantitatively analyze brain perfusion parameters in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy (IE) by use of MRI and to compare those findings with brain perfusion parameters for healthy dogs. ANIMALS 12 client-owned dogs with IE. PROCEDURES For each dog, standard MRI and perfusion-weighted imaging (before and after injection of gadoteric acid contrast medium) sequences of the brain were obtained during the interictal period by means of the same protocol used in a comparable study of healthy dogs. Time of contrast medium arrival, time to peak contrast enhancement, mean contrast transit time, and cerebral blood flow were calculated for the caudate nucleus, thalamus, piriform lobe, hippocampus, semioval center, and temporal cerebral cortex. Parameters for each structure were compared between dogs with IE and healthy dogs. RESULTS Dogs with IE had a significantly greater mean time of contrast arrival and lower mean cerebral blood flow than healthy dogs. Differences in cerebral blood flow between dogs with IE and healthy dogs were most pronounced in the piriform lobe, thalamus, and temporal cerebral cortex. The mean contrast transit time did not differ between dogs with IE and healthy dogs. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results suggested that, compared with healthy dogs, dogs with IE have decreased blood perfusion of the brain. Findings of this study can be used as a basis for further research into functional changes within the brains of epileptic dogs during the interictal phase.