Caudal Occipital Malformation Syndrome in a 6‐Year‐Old Female Huacaya Alpaca

Allen, Andrew J.; Chen, A. V.; Bagley, Rodney S.; Barrington, George M.

doi:10.1111/jvim.12316

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 8 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Cerebellar and occipital bone morphology has been investigated in various species. Most canine studies have focused on Chiari-like malformation, mainly in the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and Griffon Bruxellois, 3–6 but studies in cats, 7–9 lions 10,11 and alpacas 12 have also been conducted. Several of the feline studies investigated normal morphometric features of the skull by making measurements on skull specimens.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shape of the feline cerebellum and occipital bone related to breed on MRI of 200 cats

Huizing

Sparkes²,

Dennis

2016

Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objectives The MRI features of the feline cerebellum and occipital bone have not previously been described in the literature. The aims of this study were three-fold. Firstly, to document variations in cerebellar shape on MRI in neurologically normal cats to support our hypothesis that crowding of the contents of the caudal fossa or herniation of the cerebellar vermis through the foramen magnum occurs frequently as an anatomical variant. Secondly, to document variations in the morphology of the occipital bone. Thirdly, to see whether these variations in shape of the feline cerebellum and occipital bone could be associated with head conformation, such as brachycephaly. Methods The imaging records of the small animal clinic at the Animal Health Trust between 2000 and 2013 were searched retrospectively to identify adult cats that had undergone high-field (1.5 T) MRI investigation which included the brain. Exclusion criteria included evidence of intracranial disease or the presence of cervical syringomyelia. Midline sagittal T2-weighted and transverse images were used to assess the occipital bone morphology and cerebellar shape, and to measure the width to length ratio of the cranial cavity. Results Fourteen different breeds were represented. A cerebellar shape consistent with crowding of the contents of the caudal fossa, or herniation through the foramen magnum was present in 40% of the entire population. Persians (recognised as a brachycephalic breed) had a higher proportion of cerebellar crowding or herniation than all other breeds. There was no significant difference in the distribution of occipital bone morphology between these breed groups. Conclusions and relevance It is important to recognise morphological variations of the feline cerebellum and occipital bone in order to avoid false-positive diagnoses of raised intracranial pressure and pathological herniation on MRI.

show abstract