Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Pekingese dog with one underdeveloped optic nerve and brain fluid
By Turnquist, S E et al.·Published in The Cornell veterinarian·1991·College of Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Unilateral optic nerve hypoplasia and hydrocephalus in a Pekingese.
Plain-English summary
A 3-year-old male Pekingese was brought to the vet after being hit by a car and showed signs of vision problems in his right eye. The vet found that the right optic nerve was underdeveloped, which is known as optic nerve hypoplasia, and there was also swelling in the brain's ventricle, a condition called hydrocephalus. Unfortunately, the dog had multiple pelvic fractures and did not survive the injuries. The exact connection between the eye issues and the brain swelling remains unclear.
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Abstract
A 3-year-old, castrated male Pekingese was examined 2 days after automobile-induced trauma. Multiple pelvic injuries and visual deficits in the right eye were identified. During a subsequent postmortem examination, multiple pelvic fractures were confirmed; however, there was no evidence of head injury. Both globes were bilaterally symmetrical and grossly normal. The intraorbital and intracranial portions of the right optic nerve were threadlike and rudimentary in appearance, while the left optic nerve was grossly normal. Moderate dilatation of the left lateral ventricle was noted. Microscopically the right optic nerve and left nerve tract contained few identifiable nerve fibers. The right optic disc was depressed, and there was thinning of the optic nerve fiber and ganglion cell layers of the retina. No microscopic abnormalities were evident in the left optic nerve, optic disc, retina and right optic tract. The histologic changes in the right eye are consistent with optic nerve hypoplasia. The relationship between the optic nerve/optic tract lesions and the hydrocephalus is unknown.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1879143/