Scientific Publications

Idiopathic hypertrophic pachymeningitis has been described in humans as a rare, chronic progressive non-specific inflammatory and fibrotic disease of the dura mater. This is a case series of six canine cases of presumptive or confirmed intracranial idiopathic hypertrophic pachymeningitis. These dogs were included in this retrospective study, based on magnetic resonance imaging findings. All presented with pachymeningeal thickening and enhancement without involvement of the leptomeninges on magnetic resonance imaging and no underlying cause identified on cerebrospinal fluid analysis, complete blood count, serum biochemistry and infectious disease titres. Histopathological examination was available in one case. Response to immunomodulatory treatment (corticosteroids and cytosine arabinoside) was achieved in five cases. Idiopathic hypertrophic pachymeningitis should be considered as a possible differential diagnosis for dogs with pachymeningeal thickening on magnetic resonance imaging and no identified underlying cause. The prognosis appears to be fair to poor.

© 2012 British Small Animal Veterinary Association.

Greyhound nonsuppurative meningoencephalitis is an idiopathic breed-associated fatal meningoencephalitis with lesions usually occurring within the rostral cerebrum. This disorder can only be confirmed by postmortem examination, with a diagnosis based upon the unique topography of inflammatory lesions. Our purpose was to describe the magnetic resonance (MR) imaging features of this disease. Four Greyhounds with confirmed Greyhound nonsuppurative meningoencephalitis were evaluated by MR imaging. Lesions predominantly affected the olfactory lobes and bulbs, frontal, and frontotemporal cortical gray matter, and caudate nuclei bilaterally. Fluid attenuation inversion recovery (FLAIR) and T2 weighted spin-echo (T2W) sequences were most useful to assess the nature, severity, extension, and topographic pattern of lesions. Lesions were predominantly T2-hyperintense and T1-isointense with minimal or absent contrast enhancement.

© 2012 Veterinary Radiology & Ultrasound. 

A retrospective study was performed to identify dogs with cerebrospinal fluid-filled cavitatory lesions on MRI. Six dogs were included and the lesions were classified. In the three dogs in the present study with hydranencephaly, unilateral but complete loss of the temporal and parietal lobes was noted and had almost complete loss of the occipital and frontal lobes of a cerebral hemisphere. In the three dogs with porencephaly, there was unilateral incomplete loss of the parietal lobe and one dog had additional partial loss of the temporal and frontal lobes. Two of the dogs with porencephaly had seizures; the third showed no associated clinical signs. The dogs with hydranencephaly had mentation changes and circled compulsively. The two porencephalic dogs with seizures were treated with phenobarbitone. One of the dogs with hydranencephaly showed increased frequency and duration of circling; one dog's clinical signs did not progress and the third dog was euthanased due to increasing aggression. The dog with increased circling had ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement and the circling frequency reduced.

Source: Willows Veterinary Centre, Highlands Road, Shirley, Solihull, West Midlands B90 4NH, UK.

A Novel Movement Disorder in Related Male Labrador Retrievers Characterized by Extreme Generalized Muscular Stiffness.

Vanhaesebrouck AE, Shelton GD, Garosi L, Harcourt-Brown TR, Couturier J, Behr S, Harvey RJ, Jeffery ND, Matiasek K, Blakemore WF, Granger N.

Department of Veterinary Medicine, The Queen's Veterinary School Hospital, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

Comparative Neuromuscular Laboratory, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, CA Davies Veterinary Specialists, Higham Gobion, UK Department of Pharmacology, The School of Pharmacy, London, UK Section of Clinical & Comparative Neuropathology, Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, Munich, Germany Willows Referral Service, Solihull, UK Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, OH. Objectives: To describe the clinical phenotype of a new motor disorder in Labrador Retrievers. Animals and Methods: Case series study. Seven young male Labrador Retrievers presented for evaluation of stiff gait. Results: All affected dogs had generalized muscular stiffness, persistent at rest and resulting in restricted joint movements. They showed a forward flexed posture, festinating gait, and bradykinesia. Signs developed between 2 and 16 months of age and tended to stabilize in adulthood. Needle electromyogram in the conscious state showed continuous motor unit activity in resting epaxial and proximal limb muscles. This activity was abolished by general anesthesia. Muscle and nerve histopathology was normal. In 2 dogs necropsied, astrocytosis was evident throughout the spinal cord gray matter, reticular formation and caudate nuclei. Decreased neuronal counts were selectively found in the spinal cord Rexed's lamina VII, but not in VIII and IX. Pedigree analysis showed that the affected dogs were from 5 related litters. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: This new hypertonicity syndrome in Labrador Retrievers is unique because of the selective distribution of the histological lesions, the lack of progression in adulthood, and its exclusive occurrence in male dogs. Pedigree analysis suggests an X-linked hereditary disease, although other modes of inheritance cannot be ruled out with certainty. We hypothesize that altered output from basal nuclei and reticular formation together with motor neuron disinhibition caused by a decreased number of spinal cord interneurons leads to the muscular stiffness.

PMID: 21781161 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Treatment of 11 dogs with meningoencephalomyelitis of unknown origin with a combination of prednisolone and cytosine arabinoside.

Menaut P, Landart J, Behr S, Lanore D, Trumel C.

Service de Pathologie Médicale des Carnivores Domestiques, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse, 31076 Toulouse Cedex, France.

The records of 11 dogs with evidence of meningoencephalomyelitis of unknown origin were reviewed. Two of them had had a focal form of the disease and the other nine a disseminated form. The forebrain was involved in five of the nine dogs with disseminated disease, the brainstem in all nine and the cerebellum in one. They had been treated with courses of cytosine arabinoside every three weeks and immunosuppressive doses of prednisolone. Their response to the treatment, in terms of quality of life, was judged by their owners and referring veterinarians to have been excellent in five, good in five and poor in one; their survival times ranged from 78 days to more than 603 days. The cumulative probability of survival at two years was 58.4 per cent. No signs of myelosuppression or other side effects associated with cytosine arabinoside were observed.

PMID: 18296666 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Behr S, Cauzinille L.

Department of Neurology, Fregis Referral Hospital, Arcueil, France.

Immune-mediated central nervous system inflammation is described in a series of 12 juvenile boxer dogs. A diagnosis of steroid-responsive meningitis-arteritis was made based on the clinical presentation and on diagnostic findings. The boxer breed was at a higher risk for this inflammatory condition than other breeds. Long-term follow-up (>2 years) confirmed a better prognosis in this breed than in the beagle and the Bernese mountain dog. Complete resolution of clinical signs without significant deficits or recurrences was obtained in all cases. Early clinical recognition and immunosuppressive treatment resulted in a better response and complete resolution of the disorder.

PMID: 16822766 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

High resolution protein electrophoresis of 100 paired canine cerebrospinal fluid and serum.

Behr S, Trumel C, Cauzinille L, Palenché F, Braun JP.

Frégis Veterinary Clinique, Arcueil, France.

This study was performed to investigate the diagnostic relevance of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) high resolution electrophoresis. The laboratory technique was applied to 100 paired samples of canine CSF and serum, with paired samples tested during the same analytical run, as recommended in human medicine. Ninety four of the dogs had a neurological disease and 6 healthy dogs served as a control group. A strong linear correlation between CSF total protein concentration and the albumin quota (AQ) was found in the control group and in the inflammatory (infectious or noninfectious), neoplastic, and miscellaneous groups: AQ = 0.015 CSF total protein--0.102, r = 0.990. This correlation suggests that an increased CSF total protein concentration can be an indicator of blood brain barrier dysfunction. The highest median AQ value was found in the aseptic suppurative meningitis group, but no statistical differences were found between this and the other groups. The AQ, calculated with this technique, did not provide any additional information. Moreover, although unexpected, the electrophoretic profiles were not characteristic of any particular disease. In conclusion, this study did not confirm high resolution electrophoresis of paired CSF and serum samples to be a valuable ancillary diagnostic tool for canine neurological diseases.

PMID: 16734104 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Assessment of a pyrogallol red technique for total protein measurement in the cerebrospinal fluid of dogs.

Behr S, Trumel C, Palanché F, Braun JP.

Département des Sciences Biologiques et Fonctionnelles & UMR Physiopathologie et Toxicologie Expérimentales, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire, 23 chemin des Capelles, 31076 Toulouse Cedex, France.

The measurement of protein concentration in the cerebrospinal fluid is a basic analytical method in neurology. In this study, a pyrogallol red technique using a human albumin calibrator previously validated in human medicine was tested for canine samples, and the results were compared with those obtained using urine test strips. Pyrogallol red significantly (P

PMID: 14692549 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Behr S, Trumel C, Braun J-P (2002) Analysis of proteins in the cerebrospinal fluid of dogs: a review. Prat Med Chir Anim Comp 38, 101-113