Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
MRI helps early diagnosis of jaw muscle inflammation in dogs
By Cauduro, Alberto et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2013·Associazione Professionale Neurovet, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Use of MRI for the early diagnosis of masticatory muscle myositis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Two dogs were brought in with severe pain when opening their mouths and difficulty moving their jaws, which are signs of masticatory muscle myositis (MMM). An MRI scan revealed abnormal areas in the jaw muscles, and further tests showed significant muscle activity issues. After starting treatment early, both dogs saw their symptoms improve within two months and did not experience any relapses over the next two years. This case highlights how MRI can be a helpful tool for diagnosing MMM and starting treatment sooner.
People also search for: dog jaw pain · masticatory muscle myositis treatment · dog MRI for jaw problems
Abstract
The medical records of two dogs that were diagnosed with masticatory muscle myositis (MMM) were reviewed. The reported clinical signs included intense pain when opening the mouth and restricted jaw movement. MRI detected widespread, symmetrical, and inhomogeneously hyperintense areas in the masticatory muscle. Electromyography (EMG) demonstrated severe and spontaneous pathologic activity in the temporal and masseter muscles. With early therapeutic treatment, remission of symptoms occurred within 2 mo, and no relapses were observed for the subsequent 2 yr. The gold standard for the diagnosis of MMM is the 2M antibody test, but the purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of MRI as an accurate and efficient diagnostic tool for the initiation of early therapy for the treatment of muscle myositis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23861264/