Canine idiopathic generalized tremor syndrome, immune-mediated?

Idiopathic generalized tremor syndrome is a disorder characterized by an acute onset of full-body tremors, sometimes accompanied by vestibulo-cerebellar signs, that is responsive to treatment with corticosteroids. Although considered to have an overall good outcome, relapsing and persistent mild clinical signs have been described. So far, little is known about the etiopathology of this syndrome, but it is believed to have an immune-mediated origin.

Demographics, clinical findings and diagnoses of cranial thoracic myelopathies (T1-T6 vertebrae) in cats.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to describe the patient demographics, clinicopathological features and presumptive or final diagnoses in cats with myelopathies between the T1 and T6 vertebrae.

Methods: This retrospective multicentre case study enrolled cases between 2015 and 2022 that were diagnosed with myelopathies between the T1 and T6 vertebrae as the primary cause for the presenting clinical signs.

Results: A total of 21 cases matched the inclusion criteria, 13 males (11 castrated and 2 entire) and 8 spayed females (median age 93 months; range 5-192).

Persistent marked cerebrospinal fluid eosinophilia in a dog with primary central nervous system histiocytic sarcoma.

A 6-year-old female spayed Jack Russell Terrier was evaluated for episodic seizure-like activity and intermittent obtundation over the previous 3 weeks. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain revealed mild generalized dilation of the ventricular system with periventricular edema. A focal area of mildly increased lepto- and pachymeningeal contrast uptake in the region of the right parietal and occipital lobes was observed.

Canine Lafora Disease: An Unstable Repeat Expansion Disorder.

Canine Lafora disease is a recessively inherited, rapidly progressing neurodegenerative disease caused by the accumulation of abnormally constructed insoluble glycogen Lafora bodies in the brain and other tissues due to the loss of NHL repeat containing E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 1 (). Dogs have a dodecamer repeat sequence within the gene, which is prone to unstable (dynamic) expansion and loss of function. Progressive signs of Lafora disease include hypnic jerks, reflex and spontaneous myoclonus, seizures, vision loss, ataxia and decreased cognitive function.

Clinical features, diagnosis, and survival analysis of dogs with glioma.

Background: Gliomas in dogs remain poorly understood.

Objectives: To characterize the clinicopathologic findings, diagnostic imaging features and survival of a large sample of dogs with glioma using the Comparative Brain Tumor Consortium diagnostic classification.

Animals: Ninety-one dogs with histopathological diagnosis of glioma.

Missense Variant in a Cat with L-2-Hydroxyglutaric Aciduria.

A 7-month-old, spayed female, domestic longhair cat with L-2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria (L-2-HGA) was investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical signs, metabolic changes and underlying genetic defect. The owner of the cat reported a 4-month history of multiple paroxysmal seizure-like episodes, characterized by running around the house, often in circles, with abnormal behavior, bumping into obstacles, salivating and often urinating.

Peri-ictal magnetic resonance imaging characteristics in dogs with suspected idiopathic epilepsy.

Background: The pathophysiology of changes in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) detected after a seizure is not fully understood.

Objective: To characterize and describe seizure-induced changes detected by MRI.

Animals: Eighty-one client-owned dogs diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy.

Cranial solitary osseous plasmacytoma and subjacent amyloid deposition in a dog.

Solitary osseous plasmacytomas affecting the vertebrae, the zygomatic arch, and ribs occur in dogs. In this report, we describe clinical and imaging features of a solitary osseous plasmacytoma affecting the skull with deposition of amyloid forming a mass-like lesion. To the authors' knowledge, no similar cases have been reported before.

Thoracic Vertebral Canal Stenosis Associated with Vertebral Arch Anomalies in Small Brachycephalic Screw-Tail Dog Breeds.

Objective:  The aim of this study was to describe clinical and imaging features of thoracic vertebral canal stenosis secondary to the hypertrophy of the vertebral lamina and articular processes in screw-tail brachycephalic dog breeds, to evaluate the prevalence of the malformation in a large group of screw-tail dog breeds and to determine if degree of stenosis is associated with presence of neurological signs.

Study Design:  This is a retrospective multicentric study.

Materials And Methods:  Clinical records of 185 screw-tail brachycephalic dogs (French Bulldogs, English Bulldogs, Boston Terriers) and Pugs were reviewed.

Predictors of urinary or fecal incontinence in dogs with thoracolumbar acute non-compressive nucleus pulposus extrusion.

Background: Urinary (UI) and fecal (FI) incontinence occur in up to 7.5% and 32% of dogs, respectively, after thoracolumbar acute noncompressive nucleus pulposus extrusion (ANNPE).

Hypotheses/objectives: To investigate clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic predictors of UI and FI in dogs with ANNPE affecting the T3-L3 spinal cord segments.

Successful surgical management of an Escherichia coli epidural-subdural abscess secondary to sino-rhinotomy.

Objective: To describe a case of successful management of epidural-subdural abscess and severe meningitis with secondary brain herniation in a dog.

Case Summary: A rhino-sinusotomy was performed in a 3-year-old mixed-breed dog for management of refractory sinonasal aspergillosis. Initial recovery was good, but the dog became acutely stuporous 36 hours after surgery.

Evaluation of concurrent analysis of cerebrospinal fluid samples collected from the cerebellomedullary cistern and lumbar subarachnoid space for the diagnosis of steroid-responsive meningitis arteritis in dogs.

Objective: To evaluate whether concurrent analysis of CSF samples from 2 collection sites (cerebellomedullary cistern [CMC] and lumbar subarachnoid space [LSS]) versus only 1 site could improve the diagnostic sensitivity of CSF analysis for dogs with suspected steroid-responsive meningitis arteritis (SRMA).

Animals: 111 client-owned dogs with SRMA diagnosed at 3 veterinary referral hospitals between 2011 and 2017.

Procedures: Only dogs with CSF collected from both sites (CMC and LSS) and with no previous history of corticosteroid administration were included.

Risk factors for blood-contaminated cerebrospinal fluid collection in dogs.

Objective: To determine the risk factors for blood contamination during cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) collection in dogs.

Study Design And Methods: This is a prospective study of 170 CSF samples. Data collected included signalment of the patient, body condition score, site of CSF collection (cerebellomedullary cistern (CMC) or lumbar cistern (LC)), number of attempts, clinician expertise, final diagnosis, time of day, skull conformation and day of the week.

Thoracic vertebral canal stenosis due to articular process hypertrophy in two cats treated by hemilaminectomy with partial osteotomy of the spinous process.

Case Summary: A 9-year-old neutered female British Shorthair cat (case 1) and a 13-year-old neutered male domestic shorthair cat (case 2) showed signs of chronic T3-L3 myelopathy, which progressed over 6 and 12 months, respectively. On presentation, case 1 had moderate pelvic limb proprioceptive ataxia and ambulatory paraparesis, and case 2 was non-ambulatory paraparetic and had urinary incontinence. Bilateral enlargement of the articular process joints at T11-T12 in case 1 and T3-T4 in case 2 causing dorsolateral extradural spinal cord compression was shown on MRI.

Eosinophilic cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis associated with neural Angiostrongylus vasorum infection in a dog.

A 1-year-old, female intact Pug dog was presented to the Small Animal Teaching Hospital of the University of Liverpool with a 4-week history of progressive multifocal intracranial signs. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) detected multiple hemorrhagic lesions in the brain. The Baermann and zinc sulfate flotation tests with centrifugation, performed on fecal samples, were positive for lungworm larvae and an antigenic test confirmed Angiostrongylus vasorum infection.

Agreement between transverse T2-weighted and three-dimensional constructive interference in steady state sequences in the evaluation of spinal cord disease in dogs.

The constructive interference in steady state (CISS) sequence has been widely used in human neuroimaging. It has been shown to be advantageous in the evaluation of intra-axial and extra-axial cystic abnormalities, arteriovenous and dysraphic malformations and disturbances of cerebrospinal fluid circulation. To assess the utility of this technique in small animals, interpretations based on this sequence were compared with those based on T2-weighted (T2W) sequences in 145 dogs that underwent MRI of the spine for suspected spinal cord disease.

MRI findings of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis in a cat.

Case Summary: A 2-year-old male domestic shorthair cat presented to the University of Liverpool Small Animal Teaching Hospital with a 2 week history of altered mentation, blindness and focal epileptic seizures. MRI examination revealed generalised cerebral and cerebellar atrophy, diffuse T2-weighted hyperintensity of the white matter and meningeal thickening. Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis was confirmed on post-mortem examination.