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Vertebral fractures and luxations are common causes of neurological emergencies in small-animal patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of three-dimensional printing (3Dp) models on how veterinary students understand and learn to identify canine spinal fractures and to compare 3Dp models to computed tomography (CT) images and three-dimensional CT (3D-CT) reconstructions. Three spinal fracture models were generated by 3Dp. Sixty first-year veterinary students were randomized into three teaching module groups (CT, 3D-CT, or 3Dp) and asked to answer a multiple-choice questionnaire with 12 questions that covered normal spinal anatomy and the identification of vertebral fractures. We used four additional questions to evaluate the overall learning experience and knowledge acquisition. Results showed that students in the 3Dp group performed significantly better than those in the CT ( p < .001) and the 3D-CT ( p < .001) groups. Students in the 3Dp and 3D-CT groups answered all questions more quickly than the CT group (3Dp versus CT, p < .001; 3D-CTversus CT, p < .001), with no significant differences between the 3Dp and 3D-CT groups ( p = .051). Only the degree of knowledge acquisition that the students considered they had acquired during the session showed significant differences between groups ( p = .01). In conclusion, across first-year veterinary students, 3Dp models facilitated learning about normal canine vertebral anatomy and markedly improved the identification of canine spinal fractures. Three-dimensional printing models are an easy and inexpensive teaching method that could be incorporated into veterinary neuroanatomy classes to improve learning in undergraduate students.

Intracranial neoplasia is frequently encountered in dogs. After a presumptive diagnosis of intracranial neoplasia is established based on history, clinical signs and advanced imaging characteristics, the decision to treat and which treatment to choose must be considered. The objective of this study is to report survival times (ST) for dogs with intracranial meningiomas and gliomas treated with surgical resection alone (SRA), to identify potential prognostic factors affecting survival, and to compare the results with the available literature. Medical records of 29 dogs with histopathologic confirmation of intracranial meningiomas and gliomas treated with SRA were retrospectively reviewed. For each dog, signalment, clinical signs, imaging findings, type of surgery, treatment, histological evaluation, and ST were obtained. Twenty-nine dogs with a histological diagnosis who survived >7 days after surgery were included. There were 15 (52%) meningiomas and 14 (48%) gliomas. All tumors had a rostrotentorial location. At the time of the statistical analysis, only two dogs were alive. Median ST for meningiomas was 422 days (mean, 731 days; range, 10-2735 days). Median ST for gliomas was 66 days (mean, 117 days; range, 10-730 days). KaplanMeier analysis indicated that ST was significantly longer for meningiomas than for gliomas (P<0.05). A negative correlation between the presence of a midline shift and ST (P=0.037) and ventricular compression and ST (P=0.038) was observed for meningiomas. For gliomas, there were no significant associations between ST and any of the variables evaluated. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that, for dogs that survived >7 days postoperatively, SRA might be an appropriate treatment, particularly for meningiomas, when radiation therapy is not readily available. Also, the presence of midline shift and ventricular compression might be negative prognostic factors for dogs with meningiomas.

Neuropathies in cats are mostly acquired. In comparison to the dog, only very few inherited forms have been described. This case report describes the clinical and diagnostic findings of a suspected inherited feline axonal neuropathy with a very unique clinical course. Two young related male Snowshoe cats were presented with an initially progressive history of recurrent pelvic limb weakness. Electrodiagnostic investigations suggested an axonopathy and muscle-nerve biopsies confirmed axonal degeneration. Over the following 2 years both cats stabilised without any specific treatment, and repeat electrodiagnostic investigations and muscle biopsy in one cat confirmed the tendency for remission.

Cerebrospinal fluid collection is fundamental to the investigation of central nervous system disorders although it carries potential risks. Herein we report the clinical signs and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings associated with needle injury to the brainstem during cerebellomedullary cistern puncture in four dogs. Three dogs were nonambulatory tetraparetic with cranial nerve deficits and one dog had unexplained left thoracic limb paresis. In MR images, there were conspicuous T2 hyperintensities in the myelencephalon in all dogs. In T2* gradient echo images, the lesions were hypointense in two dogs with multiple cranial nerve deficits, and hyperintense in another dog. One dog was euthanized due to sudden neurologic deterioration 12 days later, one died shortly after MR imaging, and a third was euthanized due to concurrent cervical spondylomyelopathy. The fourth dog recovered gradually. Diagnosis was confirmed histopathologically in one dog and was presumptive based on clinical signs and MR findings in three dogs. None of the dogs with cranial nerve deficits recovered, only the one dog with left thoracic limb paresis and concurrent syringomyelia.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are proteolytic enzymes involved with extracellular matrix degradation. They have been considered to be important for tumor growth and development of peritumoral edema. This retrospective study investigated the expression of MMP subtypes 9 and 2 in canine intracranial meningiomas and their association with peritumoral edema. Twenty-two cases of histologically confirmed grade I meningiomas based on human World Health Organization classification were enrolled. Tumor volume and peritumoral edema were measured by magnetic resonance imaging volumetry. The intratumoral MMP expression was semiquantitatively assessed by immunoreactivity scores and compared with the imaging data. MMP-9 was expressed in all the samples (22/22), whereas proMMP-2 was expressed in 21 of 22 meningiomas, and a/proMMP-2 was expressed in 9 of 22. The immunoreactivity scores were not statistically linked to the severity of peritumoral edema. None of the evaluated MMP expression parameters were statistically linked to the edema index. Although both edema index and MMP-9 expression were highest in meningiomas of the olfactory and frontal region, only the latter mounted up to statistical significance (P = .002) if compared with parafalx and convexity meningiomas of the parietal lobe. In summary, MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression by tumor cells, evaluated through immunohistochemistry, is not predictive of the formation of peritumoral edema in canine rostrotentorial meningiomas.

A 10-year-old male Old English Sheepdog had a 5-day history of acute onset nonambulatory tetraparesis and severe cervical hyperalgesia. Increased serum alkaline phosphatase 290 U/l (0-160) and alanine transaminase 131 U/l (0-110) activities had been documented. Radiographs of the cervical spine, thorax, and abdomen, and abdominal ultrasound, acquired by the referring veterinarian were normal. The dog was treated with intravenous (IV) fluids, dexamethasone, and buprenorphine with no improvement and then referred for further assessment. Physical and Laboratory FindingsThe dog was in lateral recumbency and painful. There was crepitus and decreased range of motion in both stifles, nonambulatory tetraparesis, normal mental status, and normal cranial nerve function. Proprioceptive positioning was delayed in all four limbs. Flexor reflexes were severely decreased in the thoracic limbs and slightly decreased in the pelvic limbs, and the patellar reflex was absent bilaterally. The cutaneus trunci reflex was normal. Palpation of the caudal cervical region elicited hyperesthesia. The neuroanatomic localization was to the neuromuscular system, however, concurrent involvement of the cervical spine was also considered due to the cervical hyperesthesia. The serum creatine kinase activity was elevated at 2437 IU/l (21-56). Urinalysis was normal. Serology for Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum was negative.

Background: Discospondylitis is an infection of the intervertebral disc and adjacent vertebral endplates. The infectious agent is most commonly a bacterial organism and fungal causes are uncommon. Case Description: A 1.5-year-old female entire pug was referred with a 6-week history of right head tilt and progressive non-ambulatory paraparesis. On neurological examination, right facial paralysis and mid and caudal lumbar pain were also detected. Magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography of the head and spine were performed 3 weeks apart. Findings were consistent with osteolysis of the petrous temporal bone and L2-L3 and L5-L6 vertebral subluxation caused by discospondylitis and osteomyelitis. Disseminated aspergillosis was diagnosed following biopsy and stabilization using an external skeletal spinal fixator. Voriconazol was administered as a medical treatment after surgery. The dog died 3 months later without failure of the construct. Conclusion: To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report using an external fixator for fungal lumbar discospondylitis. The use of an external skeletal spinal fixator should be considered when choosing the surgical technique.