Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with liver disease showing severe brain cortex damage
By Morita, T et al.·Published in Veterinary pathology·2004·Department of Veterinary Pathology, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Severe involvement of cerebral neopallidum in a dog with hepatic encephalopathy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old Maltese dog was brought in showing signs of confusion and disorientation due to hepatic encephalopathy, a condition caused by liver failure. The dog had a small liver and abnormal blood flow, which contributed to its symptoms. A detailed examination of the brain revealed specific areas of damage and changes in brain cells. Unfortunately, the report does not mention any specific treatments or outcomes for the dog.
People also search for: dog confusion symptoms · Maltese hepatic encephalopathy treatment · dog liver disease signs
Abstract
This report describes a unique distribution of cerebral cortical necrotic lesion, which was diagnosed as hepatic encephalopathy in a 2-year-old Maltese dog. The dog showed splenocaval shunt and small liver with marked hepatocellular fatty degeneration. Histopathologic examination revealed that diffuse laminar cortical necrosis composed of neuronal necrosis, marked infiltration of gitter macrophages, and astrogliosis were found bilaterally in the dorsolateral area of the cerebrum. No necrotic lesions were observed in the cerebral paleopallium and archipallium, the central gray matter, cerebellum, and brain stem. Astrocytes with large and pale nuclei (Alzheimer type II astrocytes) were apparent throughout the brain. Immunohistochemically, a decrease of immunostains for glutamine synthetase and glutamate transporter antibodies was seen in Alzheimer type II astrocytes and neuropil. This is, to our knowledge, the first report of extensive involvement of cerebral neopallidum in canine hepatic encephalopathy.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15232150/