Neurology Flashcards
What is chiari-like malformation?
What is syringomyelia?
What are at least three common CS?
Malformation of the skull and cranial vertebrae –> overcrowding of brain, subsequent partial herniation –> compression of brain stem and cervical spinal cord, CSF obstruction, syringomyelia (fluid filled cavity within the spinal cord parenchyma)
CS:
**Note - can be painful WITHOUT syringomyelia
–Can be asymptomatic, or vague CS that overlap with other diseases
–Yelping
–Phantom scratching
–Neck pain (decr mobility, head shy, etc)
–Facial pruritus, rubbing
Less common:
–Seizures
–Air licking
–Vestibular, other CN deficits, proprioceptive deficits
–Pain while defecating
JVIM 2019 Rusbridge
True or False: CKCS with more brachycephalic conformation are at greater risk for chiari-like malformation.
True
JVIM 2020
Complications of ventriculoperitoneal shunts to treat hydrocephalus:
–At least 4 complications
–More likely in dogs or cats?
–Usually occur in what time frame post op?
–Proportion that are surgically fixable?
Shunt obst, disconnection, kink, excessive shunting, pain, infxn
Coiling of shunt into SQ tissues – most common complication in cats, no dogs
**Note – sz are NOT a complication of shunts!
Cats > dogs
Within 6mo
Half
JVIM 2019 Schmidt
JVIM 2019 Gradner
JVIM 2020 Farke
Vertebral malformations:
–What dog breed is most at risk?
–Are neuro deficits common or uncommon? What two imaging findings are CS associated with?
–Do symptomatic dogs respond best to med, sx, or either?
Pug > other brachycephalic breeds
Uncommon. Assoc with:
–More severe kyphosis
–FEWER hemivertibrae
Sx! One study found ALL med dogs had progression of signs
JVIM 2019 De Decker
JAVMA 2018 Wyatt
Lafora disease:
–What is it?
–Signalment?
–CS?
–Impact on lifespan?
Autosomal recessive neuro storage disease
Middle aged beagles
Starts with generalized sz, then decr vision/hearing/learned tricks, staring, photosensitivity
Can still reach normal lifespan
JVIM 2021 Flegel
Chihuahuas with persistent fontanelles:
More numerous/larger associated with what three other malformations?
Chiari
Syringomyelia
Ventriculomegaly
**Also, tended to be smaller dogs
JVIM 2021 Kiviranta
Two 6wk GSD puppies from the same litter with course, side to side tremors affecting their head and trunk. Tremors interfere with walking but go away at rest. They have been shaky since birth but the breeder thought they would grow out of it. The siblings and parents are normal.
–Top ddx?
–Mode of inheritance?
–Basic mechanism?
–Progression?
Hypomyelinating leukodystrophy (“shaking puppy syndrome”) in GSDs. Autosomal recessive. Abnormal CNS myelination.
Puppies are often euth’d. If not, tremors may improve until 6-7mo old. Adults will have severe PL ataxia.
JVIM 2021 Quitt
Two 3mo old Bouvier des Ardennes siblings (look like a big/tall Westie). Both have intention tremors and more recent onset generalized hypermetric ataxia. One puppy is considerably more affected than the other. The parents and other siblings are normal.
–Top ddx?
–Cause?
–One other breed that gets this?
–Prognosis?
Spinocerebellar ataxia
KCNJ10 homozygous mutant (autosomal recessive inheritance) –> cerebellar spongy degeneration, demyelinating myelopathy
Belgian malinois
Poor – likely to progress to nonambulatory status before 1yr old
JVIM 2023 Stee
What is caused by LAMA2 gene deletion?
Prognosis?
Congenital muscular dystrophy (progressive weakness and loss of muscle mass; can confirm with bx, genetic analysis)
Progressive disease w/ no specific tx. Poor px.
JVIM 2021 Shelton
What is caused by SCN9A variant?
Congenital insensitivity to pain
Autosomal recessive
JVIM 2023 Gutierrez-Quintana
True or False: Idiopathic epilepsy is the most common cause of seizures in cats <1yr old.
False – structural disease (FIP, congenital malformation, trauma)
JAVMA 2018 Qahwash
When is ammonia level NOT diagnostically helpful in a cat with seizures?
A) Preictal
B) Postictal
C) In between seizures
B - can have transient hyperammonemia WITHOUT liver dysfunction, goes back to normal within a couple hours
JFMS 2021 Nilsson
In cats, which are more commonly associated with recurrent seizures?
A) Younger
B) Older
C) Idiopathic epilepsy
D) Structural brain disease
B, D
JFMS 2019 Hazenfratz
JVIM 2020 O’Neill
What is high HMGB1 associated with?
A) Idiopathic epilepsy
B) Immune mediated meningoencephalitis
C) Protozoal cause of meningoencephalitis
D) Intracranial neoplasia
E) Canine cognitive dysfunction
A
JVIM 2020 Koo
Are definable seizure triggers (stress, sleep deprivation, weather, hormones) more common for focal or generalized seizures?
Focal
JVIM 2019 Forsgard
Dogs with seizures triggered by eating:
–Possible overrepresented breed?
–More common with idiopathic epilepsy or structural brain disease?
–Effect of changing eating habits (food, bowls, meal size, etc)?
Lab
Idiopathic epilepsy
None – need antiseizure drugs
JVIM 2020 Brocal
Efficacy of the following novel treatments for refractory epilepsy (great, modest/equivocal, worsening)
Medium chain TG
Telmisartan
CBD
All modest/equivocal
JVIM 2020 Berk
JAVMA 2022 Hanael
JAVMA 2019 McGrath
Which antiepileptic drug should be avoided in cats and why?
Bromide –> asthma
JFMS 2018
Which two causes of seizure are less responsive to miazolam CRI?
A) Idiopathic epilepsy
B) Structural epilepsy
C) Reactive seizure
D) Status epilepticus
Which midaz bolus route works faster: intranasal or IV? Does either work better?
C, D
Intranasal works faster unless IVC is already in place. Comparable efficacy.
JVIM 2020 Bray
JVIM 2019 Charalambous
In dogs with status epilepticus who survive to discharge, what two factors are associated with recurrence of status epilepticus?
Prior drug resistant epilepsy
Predominance of a focal seizure phenotype
JVIM 2022 Fentem
Which is true about TDERM phenobarb in cats? Keppra?
A) No bioavailability
B) Variable bioavailability, dosing is trial/error with therapeutic drug monitoring
C) Consistent bioavailability but unable to reach therapeutic dose target
D) Consistent bioavailability and able to reach therapeutic dose target
Pheno - B) variable, trial/error guided by therapeutic drug monitoring
Keppra - D) consistently reaches target goal (from human lit – not established for cats)
JFMS 2019 Heller
JVIM 2019 Smith
How do concurrent phenobarb and/or zonisamide affect the pharmacokinetics of keppra?
A) No effect – stable pharmacokinetics
B) Zonisamide causes variable keppra pharmacokinetics, but pheno does not
C) Pheno causes variable keppra pharmacokinetics, but zonisamide does not
D) They both cause variable keppra pharmacokinetics
E) Unclear – highly variable pharmacokinetics even with keppra monotherapy
C – although pharmacokinetics are variable with keppra monotherapy, pheno makes it worse
JVIM 2018 Munana
Why does midaz have diminishing returns for cluster seizures?
When used with midaz, provides better control of clusters, status epilepticus:
Pheno IV
Keppra rectal
Internalizatoin of GABA-A receptors
Keppra - 94% response rate vs 48% pheno
JVIM 2019 Cagnotti
Which is associated with older cats, stable to improving neuro signs, lateralizing, nonpainful?
A) IVDD
B) Spinal empyema
C) Spinal LSA
D) Spinal MCT
E) Ischemic myelopathy
Which spinal segment does this most commonly affect?
E, C6-T2
JFMS 2020 Mella