Our aim was to characterize the magnetic resonance (MR) imaging features of canine disc extrusion accompanied by epidural hemorrhage or inflammation. We correlated the imaging characteristics of this type of disc extrusion in 46 dogs and compared these features with clinical signs and pathologic findings. Data from 50 control dogs with MR imaging features of a disc extrusion with no associated hemorrhage or inflammation, characterized by a T2-hypointense extradural mass, were used for comparison of the relative location of the two types of lesions and prognosis. Disc extrusion causing epidural hemorrhage or inflammation is more common in the caudal aspect of the lumbar spine than disc extrusions that do not cause signs of hemorrhage or inflammation (Po0.05) in MR images. In dogs with disc extrusion and associated epidural hemorrhage or inflammation, there was no association between MR imaging features and signalment, the presence or absence of hemorrhage, or pathologic findings. The appearance of the lesion created by disc extrusion with epidural hemorrhage and inflammation encompasses a wide variety of imaging features, likely related to the duration of the hemorrhage and associated inflammatory changes. In 10 of 46 dogs these secondary changes masked identification of the disc extrusion itself in the MR images. An awareness of the variety of MR imaging features of disc extrusion accompanied by extradural hemorrhage or inflammation is important to avoid making an incorrect diagnosis and to facilitate a proper surgical approach. The prognosis of dogs with disc extrusion accompanied by hemorrhage or inflammation does not appear to be different than for dogs with disc extrusion and without imaging signs of epidural hemorrhage or inflammation. r

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain is a sensitive method to detect parenchymal tissue lesions. Its value in the diagnosis of central nervous system (CNS) lupus is disputed. To address this question, we have conducted an open and prospective study in a population of 44 SLE patients. We investigated 24 patients (mean age 33 +/- 13 yr) with past or active CNS lupus (group A) that included organic brain syndrome (12), migraine (8), focal neurological signs (7), seizures (2), myelopathy (1) and narcolepsy-cataplexy (1), and 20 patients (mean age 32 +/- 12 yr) without CNS lupus (group B). Health controls comprising nine females and one male aged 31 +/- 9 yr were also studied for comparison (group C). MRI was performed using sagittal T1-weighted images, axial and coronal spin density, and T2-weighted images. All scans were read blindly. Thirteen patients in group A and 10 in group B had well-identified lesions on sequences with long repetition time. Lesions were mostly multiple, small, punctate areas of increased signal at periventricular or subcortical white matter of both cerebral hemispheres. The number and location of lesions were not significantly different in both groups. None of the group C patients had MRI lesions. The presence of lesions was significantly associated with age at study and disease duration, but not with the presence of CNS lupus. In summary, MRI abnormalities are detected in neurologically asymptomatic SLE patients. Whether this represents subclinical brain involvement remains unknown.

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A six-year-old cross breed dog was presented with a four-month history of seizure activity, which was unresponsive to anticonvulsive therapy and an acute deterioration in neurological status, evident as central blindness. Cyst-like structures and nodular enhancement within the subarachnoid space were shown on a magnetic resonance image (MRI) scan. Histopathological examination of brain tissue was consistent with meningeal carcinomatosis.

Background: Intracranial abscesses as a result of grass awn migration have been rarely described in the veterinary literature. The identification of their radiological features is mandatory for proper diagnosis. As occurs with abscesses in other organs, surgical drainage and directed antibiotic therapy should be considered the treatment of choice. Case Description: A clinical case of a Great Dane dog with forebrain signs and magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography findings compatible with intracranial abscess associated with inflammatory changes in orbital musculature is described. An exploratory rostro-tentorial craniotomy with durotomy was performed, allowing the drainage of purulent content and the extraction of a plant foreign body from the cerebral parenchyma. Antibiotic treatment was instituted and the patient was discharged without recurrence of neurological deficits other than quarterly seizures. Six months later, revision magnetic resonance was performed, revealing the resolution of the intracranial lesion and the normalization of the extracranial tissues. Conclusion: This is the first case in veterinary literature in which a grass awn has been surgically extracted from the brain of a dog with long-term outcome described. Observed changes in the extracranial musculature were fundamental to establish the pre-surgical diagnosis of a migratory foreign body.