Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Noninvasive 4D MRI to diagnose subclavian steal in a dog
By Shimbo, Genya et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2021·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: The use of 4-dimensional magnetic resonance angiography as a noninvasive procedure to diagnose subclavian steal syndrome in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old Toy Poodle was brought in for neck pain that had been bothering her for six months. After imaging tests, the vet found a rare condition called subclavian steal syndrome, where blood flow is disrupted due to an abnormal connection between arteries. The owner chose not to pursue surgery, so the dog was treated with anti-inflammatory medications and pain relief. While her symptoms remained the same after eight months, the medications helped manage her discomfort. At the last check-up, 11 months later, her condition had not changed, but she was still receiving conservative treatment.
People also search for: dog neck pain treatment · Toy Poodle subclavian steal syndrome · glucocorticoids for dogs
Abstract
CASE DESCRIPTION: A 5-year-old 4.1-kg (9.0-lb) spayed female Toy Poodle was referred because of a 6-month history of sporadic signs of neck pain. CLINICAL FINDINGS: Diagnostic imaging with MRI and CT revealed a dilated radicular artery connecting the right and left vertebral arteries and causing mild compression of the spinal cord. The left subclavian artery caudal to the origin of the left vertebral artery was absent. Subclavian steal syndrome (SSS) was suspected. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: The owner declined surgical treatment; thus, the dog was treated conservatively with glucocorticoids and analgesics. Eight months later, the dog's clinical signs were unchanged but palliated with the administration of glucocorticoids and analgesics, and 4-dimensional (4-D) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) revealed that the left vertebral artery received blood supply from the right vertebral artery through the dilated radicular artery and that the left vertebral artery caudal to this site had retrograde flow and drained into the left subclavian artery, confirming the diagnosis of SSS. The owner again declined surgery, and conservative treatment continued. The dog's condition was unchanged at the last follow-up communication 11 months after 4-D MRA. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Subclavian steal syndrome is an extremely rare condition in dogs, and our findings suggested that 4-D MRA could be used to definitively diagnose SSS in dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34647481/