Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Outcomes of prednisolone or shunt surgery in dogs with hydrocephalus
By Gillespie, Sabrina et al.Ā·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical AssociationĀ·2019Ā·View original on PubMed ā
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Original publication title: Results of oral prednisolone administration or ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement in dogs with congenital hydrocephalus: 40 cases (2005-2016).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old mixed breed dog was diagnosed with congenital hydrocephalus (a condition where fluid builds up in the brain) and treated with either oral prednisolone or a surgical procedure called ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement. Out of the dogs treated with medication, half showed improvement in their neurological symptoms, while the other half got worse. In the surgical group, about 54% improved, but some experienced complications after surgery. Overall, both treatment options had mixed results, and further studies are needed to find better ways to help dogs with this condition.
People also search for: dog hydrocephalus treatment Ā· congenital hydrocephalus in dogs Ā· prednisolone for dogs with brain issues
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate signalment, clinical findings, and outcomes of dogs with congenital hydrocephalus treated medically with orally administered prednisolone or surgically by ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. ANIMALS: 40 client-owned dogs. PROCEDURES: Medical records from 2005 to 2016 were searched to identify dogs with congenital hydrocephalus confirmed by MRI examination. Patients were categorized by treatment (medical vs surgical). Signalment, clinical signs, neurologic examination findings, results of diagnostic tests, duration of hospitalization, complications potentially related to treatment, and follow-up information were recorded. Outcome was categorized on the basis of clinical (neurologic) signs as improved, stabilized, or deteriorated. Variables of interest were compared between groups by Fisher exact or Mann-Whitney U tests. RESULTS: 28 and 12 dogs had surgical and medical treatment, respectively; 3 medically treated dogs subsequently underwent ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement. No significant differences were noted in clinical or imaging findings between surgically and medically treated dogs. Median follow-up time was 9 months and 15.5 months for medically and surgically treated dogs, respectively. Of 12 medically treated dogs, 6 improved and 6 deteriorated. Of 26 surgically treated dogs with data available, 14 (54%) improved, 1 (4%) stabilized, and 11 (42%) deteriorated; 4 (15%) had known postoperative complications. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Approximately half of the dogs treated with prednisolone in this population had neurologic improvement at last follow-up; results of surgical treatment were comparable to those in previous studies. Further research is needed to assess factors associated with acceptable outcomes for dogs with congenital hydrocephalus.
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Search related cases āOriginal publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30888275/