Neuro - Diseases of the Intracranial Nervous System

Question 1

What clinical findings are associated with degenerative diseases?

Answer 1

Usually begin earlier in life (in animals less than 1 year of age), progressive clinical signs, often multifocal signs, and non-painful

Question 2

What is hydrocephalus?

Answer 2

abnormal dilation of intracranial ventricles

Question 3

True or False: Hydrocephalus is only congenital.

Answer 3

false - it can also be acquired

Question 4

What breeds is congenital hydrocephalus associated?

Answer 4

dome-shaped skull breeds

Question 5

What abnormality can hydrocephalus be associated with?

Answer 5

a fontanelle

Question 6

What can cause acquired hydrocephalus?

Answer 6

tumor, inflammation, trauma, and/or bleeding

Question 7

What are the pathophysiologic sequela associated with hydrocephalus?

Answer 7

Increases in intracranial pressure then decreases in cerebral blood flow then neuronal dysfunction, then herniation, and then cell death

Question 8

True or False: The pathophysiologic sequela of hydrocephalus are unique to it.

Answer 8

False - they are true of all structural intracranial diseases

Question 9

What is a syringomyelia?

Answer 9

fluid filled cavities of the spinal cord

Question 10

What is the pathophysiology of a syringomyelia?

Answer 10

there is often a prolem at the foramen magnum or the fourth ventricle

Question 11

What breed is the poster child for syringomyelia? Why?

Answer 11

Cavalier king charles spaniels - their skull is too small for their brain contents

Question 12

What metabolic diseases can lead to neurologic signs?

Answer 12

Hypo or hyper - glucose, sodium, potassium, and calcium

Question 13

True or False: Brain tumors can be primary or metastatic.

Answer 13

true

Question 14

True or False: Neoplasia in structures adjacent to the brain can cause neurologic signs

Answer 14

true

Question 15

What are some of the primary brain tumors (general)?

Answer 15

meningioma, glioma, and choroid plexus/ependymoma

Question 16

What are some types of gliomas?

Answer 16

astrocytomas, oligodendrogliomas, mixed, glioblastoma multiforme

Question 17

What is the most common primary brain tumor of dogs and cats?

Answer 17

meningioma

Question 18

What do meningiomas arise from?

Answer 18

meninges (arachnoid)

Question 19

Are meningiomas possibly benign or malignant?

Answer 19

benign, but there are malignant varietes

Question 20

How do meningiomas cause pathophysiologic effects?

Answer 20

due to the volume

Question 21

How are neoplasias treated?

Answer 21

surgical removal, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, treatment of elevated intracranial pressure, and/or treatment of seizures

Question 22

What nutritional deficit can cause neurological signs in cats that aren’t eating?

Answer 22

thiamine deficiency

Question 23

What clinical findings are associated with thiamine deficiency in cats?

Answer 23

vestibular signs, ventral neck flexion, and dilated pupils

Question 24

What is encephalitis?

Answer 24

inflammation of the brain

Question 25

What is meningitis?

Answer 25

inflammation of the meninges

Question 26

Is encephalitis due to an infectious agent only?

Answer 26

No, there can be non-infectious or infectious causes

Question 27

What are the common infectious causes of encephalitis in dogs?

Answer 27

viral, fungal, protozoal, or rickessial

Question 28

What viral causes can lead to encephalitis in dogs?

Answer 28

distemper, herpes, and parainfluenza

Question 29

What fungal causes can lead to encephalitis in dogs?

Answer 29

blasto or coccidio

Question 30

What protozoal causes can cause encephalitis in dogs?

Answer 30

toxo or neospora

Question 31

What rickessial causes can cause encephalitis in dogs?

Answer 31

RMSF or ehrlichia

Question 32

What are the common infectious causes of encephalitis in cats?

Answer 32

viral, fungal, protozoal, or rickessial

Question 33

What viral causes can lead to encephalitis in cats?

Answer 33

Corona (FIP), panleukopenia

Question 34

What fungal causes can lead to encephalitis in cats?

Answer 34

crypto

Question 35

What protozoal causes can lead to encephalitis in cats?

Answer 35

toxo

Question 36

What rickessial causes can lead to encephalitis in cats?

Answer 36

RMSF and erhlichia

Question 37

What breeds are prone to encephalitis (they have their 'own' encephalitis)?

Answer 37

Pug encephalitis, yorkshire terriers, and maltese terriers

Question 38

What does Dr. Bagley call all of the encephalitis diseases?

Answer 38

Idiopathic inflammatory brain disease

Question 39

What can be used to treat non-specific encephalitis?

Answer 39

Trimethoprim sulfa, clindamycin, doxocycline, and/or prednisolone

Question 40

What can be used to treat inflammatory brain disease?

Answer 40

Prednisolone, cyclophosphamide, azothiprine, cytosne arabinoside, procarbazine, leflunomide, and cyclosporin A

Question 41

When will neuro clinical signs typically develop post trauma?

Answer 41

there will usually be an acute onset of clinical signs

Question 42

What are the types cerebrovascular disease?

Answer 42

infarction, thrombus, hemorrhage, and hypertension

Question 43

When will clinical signs develop of cerebrovascular disease?

Answer 43

acute onset

Question 44

What breeds are predisposed to cerebrovascular disease?

Answer 44

greyhounds and shelties