Magnetic resonance imaging features of lissencephaly in 2 Lhasa Apsos

Two Lhasa Apsos were diagnosed with lissencephaly based on MR imaging and clinical findings. Histologic confirmation of the diagnosis was obtained in one dog. The MR imaging appearance of the brain in 2 Lhasa Apsos with lissencephaly was of a smooth cerebral surface and a thick neocortex with an absence of the corona radiata. This correlated very well with the histopathologic findings in the dog. Our findings, together with the histopathologic features reported previously, are most consistent with Lhasa Apsos having the canine equivalent of human classical lissencephaly. MR is the imaging modality of choice for antemortem diagnosis of canine lissencephaly.