Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with syringomyelia and hydrocephalus treated by surgery
By Itoh, T et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1996·Department of Veterinary Surgery, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Syringomyelia and hydrocephalus in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 7-year-old spayed female Pomeranian was brought in for worsening weakness in her back legs over the past six months. After imaging, the vet found she had syringomyelia (a fluid-filled cavity in the spinal cord) along with hydrocephalus (fluid buildup in the brain). The dog was initially treated with a medication called acetazolamide, but her condition worsened, leading to surgery to relieve pressure on her spinal cord. After the surgery, she showed some improvement and did not get worse over the next year.
People also search for: Pomeranian back leg weakness · syringomyelia treatment in dogs · acetazolamide for dogs · dog hydrocephalus symptoms
Abstract
A 7-year-old spayed female Pomeranian with a 6-month history of progressive paraparesis was determined to have syringomyelia accompanied with hydrocephalus. Magnetic resonance imaging clearly revealed severe syringomyelia in the cervical portion of the spinal cord, which was directly connected to the marked dilated fourth ventricle. Acetazolamide was prescribed for 3 weeks, but the neurologic deficits progressed. Laminectomy of the first and second vertebrae, which is one method of treating this type of syringomyelia in human beings, was performed, and then, acetazolamide was continued. The dog had partial amelioration, and further deterioration was not evident in the 12 months after surgery.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8790544/