Hemifacial Microsomia in a Cat.

A 7-month-old domestic medium hair cat presented with facial asymmetry affecting the bony and soft tissue structures of the right side of the head including the maxilla, nose, eye and pinna of the ear. Additionally, neurological dysfunction of the facial and vestibulocochlear nerves on the affected side was present. A congenital malformation affecting the first and second embryologic pharyngeal arches was suspected. This is the first case of hemifacial microsomia of likely congenital origin reported in a cat.

von Frey anesthesiometry to assess sensory impairment after acute spinal cord injury caused by thoracolumbar intervertebral disc extrusion in dogs.

Sensory threshold (ST) was measured using an electric von Frey anesthesiometer (VFA) in all limbs of 20 normal dogs and 29 dogs with acute thoracolumbar spinal cord injury (SCI) caused by spontaneous intervertebral disc extrusion. ST values were measured at three separate time points in normal dogs and on days 3, 10 and 30 following decompressive surgery in dogs with SCI. ST values were compared between groups and correlated with locomotor recovery in SCI-affected dogs. ST values were significantly higher (consistent with hypoalgesia) in the pelvic limbs of SCI-affected dogs at day 3, day 10 and day 30 when compared to normal dogs (P <0.05), while no significant difference in thoracic limb ST values was observed between groups. A progressive decrease in pelvic limb ST values occurred in SCI-affected dogs over time, consistent with improvement toward normal sensation or development of allodynia. This finding correlated inversely with locomotor score at 3 and 10 days after surgery. A significant decline in ST values across testing sessions was observed for all limbs of normal and SCI-affected dogs and may be related to patient acclimation, operator training effect, or effect of analgesic medications. This study supports the feasibility of VFA to assess differences in ST between normal and SCI-affected dogs. However, future studies must focus on techniques to minimize or compensate for clinical, environmental and behavioral factors which may impact ST values in the clinical setting.

A simplified method of walking track analysis to assess short-term locomotor recovery after acute spinal cord injury caused by thoracolumbar intervertebral disc extrusion in dogs.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a simplified method of walking track analysis to assess treatment outcome in canine spinal cord injury. Measurements of stride length (SL) and base of support (BS) were made using a 'finger painting' technique for footprint analysis in all limbs of 20 normal dogs and 27 dogs with 28 episodes of acute thoracolumbar spinal cord injury (SCI) caused by spontaneous intervertebral disc extrusion. Measurements were determined at three separate time points in normal dogs and on days 3, 10 and 30 following decompressive surgery in dogs with SCI. Values for SL, BS and coefficient of variance (COV) for each parameter were compared between groups at each time point. Mean SL was significantly shorter in all four limbs of SCI-affected dogs at days 3, 10, and 30 compared to normal dogs. SL gradually increased toward normal in the 30 days following surgery. As measured by this technique, the COV-SL was significantly higher in SCI-affected dogs than normal dogs in both thoracic limbs (TL) and pelvic limbs (PL) only at day 3 after surgery. BS-TL was significantly wider in SCI-affected dogs at days 3, 10 and 30 following surgery compared to normal dogs. These findings support the use of footprint parameters to compare locomotor differences between normal and SCI-affected dogs, and to assess recovery from SCI. Additionally, our results underscore important changes in TL locomotion in thoracolumbar SCI-affected dogs.

Magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography findings of Dyke-Davidoff-Masson-like syndrome in a cat.

CASE REPORT: A 3.5-year-old spayed female Domestic Shorthair cat was evaluated for new onset seizures and lateralising signs indicative of a lesion in the right prosencephalon. Magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography of the head revealed hypoplasia of the right cerebral hemisphere and changes in the overlying cranium, including hyperostosis and expansion of the diploic space, resulting in an increased pneumatisation of the rostral bones of the cranium. A congenital injury to the cerebral hemisphere and secondary changes of the cranium in response to the decreased brain parenchyma was presumed. Similar changes have been previously recognised in human patients with unilateral anomalies of the cerebral hemispheres, termed Dyke-Davidoff-Masson syndrome (DDMS). CONCLUSION: The case presented is the first clinical and imaging description of a cat with a syndrome that closely resembles DDMS in humans. The description of the syndrome allows recognition of an additional differential for seizures in a young patient and informs the clinician of the imaging characteristics of the cranium seen with early loss of brain parenchyma.

Postmortem evaluation of 435 cases of intracranial neoplasia in dogs and relationship of neoplasm with breed, age, and body weight.

BACKGROUND: Intracranial neoplasia of dogs is frequently encountered in veterinary medicine, but large-scale studies on prevalence are lacking. OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of intracranial neoplasia in a large population of dogs examined postmortem and the relationship between breed, age, and weight with the presence of primary intracranial neoplasms. ANIMALS: All dogs that underwent postmortem examination from 1986 through 2010 (n = 9,574), including dogs with a histopathologic diagnosis of primary (n = 227) and secondary (n = 208) intracranial neoplasia. METHODS: Retrospective evaluation of medical records from 1986 through 2010. RESULTS: Overall prevalence of intracranial neoplasia in this study's population of dogs was 4.5%. A statistically significant higher prevalence of primary intracranial neoplasms was found in dogs with increasing age and body weights. Dogs ≥15 kg had an increased risk of meningioma (odds ratio 2.3) when compared to dogs <15 kg. The Boxer, Boston Terrier, Golden Retriever, French Bulldog, and Rat Terrier had a significantly increased risk of primary intracranial neoplasms while the Cocker Spaniel and Doberman Pinscher showed a significantly decreased risk of primary intracranial neoplasms. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Intracranial neoplasia in dogs might be more common than previous estimates. The study suggests that primary intracranial neoplasia should be a strong differential in older and larger breed dogs presenting with signs of nontraumatic intracranial disease. Specific breeds have been identified with an increased risk, and others with a decreased risk of primary intracranial neoplasms. The results warrant future investigations into the role of age, size, genetics, and breed on the development of intracranial neoplasms.