Dataset Information

The paralyzed cat. Neuroanatomic diagnosis and specific spinal cord diseases.

ABSTRACT:

Practical relevance

Although gait disturbance is one of the most common neurological presentations in feline medicine, the clinical approach to the paralyzed cat can be challenging. After excluding orthopedic and cardiovascular diseases that may mimic a neurological condition, the clinician has to address a long list of different diseases that may affect the spinal cord and produce paresis.

Clinical challenges

In many cases a definitive cause of spinal weakness in cats is difficult to prove. Even when treatable diseases are identified, the prognosis is very much dependent on the severity of the clinical signs and their chronicity. This review sets out to describe the specific approach, diagnosis and management of cats with spinal cord disease and to outline the most common diseases responsible.

Patient group

Patients of either gender and all ages and breeds can be affected by spinal cord disease.

Evidence base

Many diseases affecting the spinal cord of cats, which include fibrocartilaginous embolic myelopathy, intervertebral disc disease, exogenous spinal cord trauma, spinal cord lymphosarcoma and feline infectious peritonitis, are well described in the literature. Many of these descriptions, however, have been based on case reports or series. While there have been several retrospective studies that describe the characteristics and incidence of these diseases in cats, there are no long term treatment trials or outcome studies to assist with prognostic determinations.

SUBMITTER: Negrin A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7128365 | biostudies-literature | 2009 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

The paralyzed cat. Neuroanatomic diagnosis and specific spinal cord diseases.

Negrin Arianna A Schatzberg Scott S Platt Simon R SR

Journal of feline medicine and surgery 20090501 5

<h4>Practical relevance</h4>Although gait disturbance is one of the most common neurological presentations in feline medicine, the clinical approach to the paralyzed cat can be challenging. After excluding orthopedic and cardiovascular diseases that may mimic a neurological condition, the clinician has to address a long list of different diseases that may affect the spinal cord and produce paresis.<h4>Clinical challenges</h4>In many cases a definitive cause of spinal weakness in cats is difficul ...[more]

PMID: 19389636

Similar Datasets

Project description:Intramedullary spinal cord abscess (ISCA) is a rare clinical pathology of the central nervous system that usually accompanies other underlying comorbidities. Traditionally it has been associated with significant mortality and neurological morbidities because it is often difficult to diagnose promptly, owing to its nonspecific clinical and neuroimaging features. The mortality rate and the outcome of these infections have been improved by the introduction into clinical practice of antibiotics, advanced neuroimaging modalities, and immediate surgery. We report the case of a 65-year-old male patient who presented with a progressive spastic gait and lumbar pain, predominantly in the left leg. An MRI image revealed an expansile intramedullary cystic mass in the thoracic spinal cord, which was initially diagnosed as a spinal tumor. He underwent laminectomy and myelotomy, and eventually the pus was drained from the abscess. The follow-up MRI showed improvement, but the patient's paraplegia persisted. In light of his persistent hypoesthesia and paraplegic gait with developing neuropathic pain, he was readmitted, and an MRI of his lumbar spine revealed multilevel degenerative disease and tethered spinal cord syndrome with compression of the medulla at the L2-L3 level. The patient underwent central flavectomy with bilateral foraminotomy at the L2-L3 level, and the medulla was decompressed. Postoperatively, his neurological symptoms were significantly improved, and he was discharged from hospital on the third day after admission. In support of our case, we systematically reviewed the recent literature and analyzed cases published between 1949 and May 2022, including clinical features, mechanisms of infection, predisposing factors, radiological investigations, microbial etiologies, therapies and their duration, follow-ups, and outcomes. Initial clinical presentation can be misleading, and the diagnosis can be challenging, because this condition is rare and coexists with other spinal diseases. Hence, a high index of suspicion for making an accurate diagnosis and timely intervention is required to preclude mortality and unfavorable outcomes. Our case is a clear example thereof. Long-term follow-up is also essential to monitor for abscess recurrences.

Dataset Information

The paralyzed cat. Neuroanatomic diagnosis and specific spinal cord diseases.

Practical relevance

Clinical challenges

Patient group

Evidence base

Publications

The paralyzed cat. Neuroanatomic diagnosis and specific spinal cord diseases.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets