Porencephaly in dogs and cats: relationships between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features and hippocampal atrophy
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Published on: September 20, 2015
Ai Hori1, Kiwamu Hanazono, Kenjirou Miyoshi
1Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Rakuno Gakuen University, 582-1 Bunkyoudai-Midorimachi, Ebetsu, Hokkaido 069-8501, Japan.
Abstract:
Porencephaly is the congenital cerebral defect and a rare malformation and described few MRI reports in veterinary medicine. MRI features of porencephaly are recognized the coexistence with the unilateral/bilateral hippocampal atrophy, caused by the seizure symptoms in human medicine. We studied 2 dogs and 1 cat with congenital porencephaly to characterize the clinical signs and MRI, and to discuss the associated MRI with hippocampal atrophy. The main clinical sign was the seizure symptoms, and all had hippocampal atrophy at the lesion side or the larger defect side. There is association between hippocampal atrophy or the cyst volume and the severe of clinical signs, and it is suggested that porencephaly coexists with hippocampal atrophy as well as humans in this study.
Insights
Porencephaly, a rare congenital brain defect, often coexists with hippocampal atrophy in veterinary patients, mirroring findings in humans. This association correlates with seizure severity, impacting clinical signs in affected animals.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Neurology
- Comparative Medicine
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Porencephaly is a rare congenital cerebral malformation.
- Limited MRI reports exist in veterinary medicine.
- In humans, porencephaly is associated with hippocampal atrophy and seizures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize clinical signs and MRI findings in animals with congenital porencephaly.
- To investigate the association between porencephaly and hippocampal atrophy.
- To compare findings with human medicine.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study of 2 dogs and 1 cat with congenital porencephaly.
- Clinical sign assessment.
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) analysis.
Main Results:
- Seizure symptoms were the primary clinical sign observed.
- All studied animals exhibited hippocampal atrophy ipsilateral to the porencephalic lesion or larger defect.
- A correlation was found between hippocampal atrophy/cyst volume and clinical sign severity.
Conclusions:
- Congenital porencephaly in veterinary patients is associated with hippocampal atrophy.
- This veterinary finding mirrors the human condition.
- The severity of clinical signs correlates with the degree of hippocampal atrophy and cyst volume.
