Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Utility of high-performance liquid chromatography in the characterization of iatrogenic sodium diatrizoate-induced seizures in a horse.
- Journal:
- Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc
- Year:
- 2004
- Authors:
- Fitzgerald, Scott D & Braselton, W Emmett
- Affiliation:
- College of Veterinary Medicine · United States
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A young male Quarterhorse was showing mild unsteadiness, so veterinarians performed a special imaging test using a contrast agent called sodium diatrizoate. Unfortunately, this agent was given incorrectly through a spinal injection, which caused the horse to have severe and continuous seizures. Despite efforts to help, the situation became so serious that the horse had to be euthanized. The harmful effects of this contrast agent were confirmed through tests on the horse's spinal fluid, and this case is the first of its kind reported in horses, although similar issues have been seen in dogs and humans. Sadly, the treatment did not work, and the horse could not be saved.
Abstract
Diagnostic evaluation of a mildly ataxic young gelding Quarterhorse included a contrast myelogram. Unfortunately, sodium diatrizoate was inappropriately administered by intrathecal injection resulting in severe unrelenting seizure activity and necessitated the destruction of the animal. The contrast agent was identified by analyzing cerebrospinal fluid by high-performance liquid chromatography and confirmed with probe mass spectrometric analysis. This contrast agent is highly ionic, has high osmolarity, and also blocks neurotransmission at specific receptors; for these reasons it is contraindicated for use in myelography. This is the first report of intrathecal administration of this agent in a horse, although there has been a previous report of similar untoward reactions in a dog, and numerous cases have been reported in humans.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15460337/