Clinical Signs, Magnetic Resonance Imaging Features, and Outcome After Surgical and Medical Treatment of Otogenic Intracranial Infection in 11 Cats and 4 Dogs

Abstract

Brainstem dysfunction resulting from central extension of infection is a life-threatening complication of otitis media/interna (OMI) that has been described infrequently in dogs and cats. We review the clinical signs of disease, diagnostic findings, and results of surgical and medical treatments of brainstem disease attributable to otogenic intracranial infection in cats and dogs. Eleven cats and 4 dogs were examined because of acute, subacute, or chronic clinical signs of brain disease including central vestibular signs, altered mentation, abnormal posture/gait, cranial nerve deficits, and seizures. Results of a minimal database (CBC, serum biochemical panel, urinalysis, thoracic radiographs, and abdominal ultrasonographic images or radiographs) were within reference intervals in all animals. Magnetic resonance (MR) images of the head were acquired for all animals, and cisternal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from 9 of 11 cats and 3 of 4 dogs was examined. Surgical exploration and ventral bulla osteotomy were done for 12 of 15 animals, followed by 1-3 months of antibiotic therapy; the remaining animals were euthanized before treatment. In all animals, MR imaging was effective in characterizing the location and extent of the pathologic changes intracranially as well as within middle/inner ear structures. Results of CSF analysis were characteristic of bacterial infection in most of the animals with acute or subacute disease. Since long-term outcome in all treated animals was very good to excellent, it was concluded that dogs and cats with intracranial disease secondary to extension of otitis media/interna have a good-to-excellent prognosis when the condition was diagnosed and was treated by surgical exploration and appropriate antibiotic therapy.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging for the Differentiation of Neoplastic, Inflammatory, and Cerebrovascular Brain Disease in Dogs

“…Reviewers were then asked to specify the most likely brain disease represented by the MR abnormalities. Reviewers were permitted to diagnose inflammatory lesions as granulomatous meningoencephalitis (GME), 21 necrotizing encephalitis (NE), 8 bacterial encephalitis, 22 canine distemper virus encephalitis, 23 Neospora caninum, 24 fungal encephalitis, 25,26 or other/unknown. Neoplastic lesions could be classified by reviewers as meningioma, 5 glioma (oligodendroglial, astrocytic, or mixed-glial origin), 7 choroid plexus tumor (papilloma or carcinoma), 27,28 ependymoma, 29 histiocytic sarcoma, 30 lymphoma, 4 hemangiosarcoma, 31 pituitary tumor, 3 metastatic neoplasia, 4,20 or other/unknown.…”

Clinical analysis and nonsurgical management of 11 dogs with aural cholesteatoma

“…The only curative treatment for canine cholesteatoma reported to date is surgery with total ear canal ablationlateral bulla osteotomy (TECA-LBO) and ventral bulla osteotomy. 1,2,10,16 The prime objective of surgery for cholesteatoma is to remove all keratinous debris and stratified squamous epithelium; 17 recurrence postsurgery is common in animals. [1][2][3] To the best of the authors' knowledge, 15 reports (covering a total of 70 cases) of canine cholesteatoma have been published.…”

“…[1][2][3] To the best of the authors' knowledge, 15 reports (covering a total of 70 cases) of canine cholesteatoma have been published. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]10,13,15,16,[18][19][20] Reports in which the diagnosis of cholesteatoma was confirmed by histopathological evaluation in combination with CT and MR imaging are limited. 1,8 No clinical studies of nonsurgical management for aural cholesteatoma have been reported.…”

Low-field magnetic resonance imaging of otitis media in two cats: a case report

“…There is a limited number of reports on the usefulness of MRI in the diagnosis of feline ear diseases (Allgoewer et al 2000;Mellema et al 2002;Garosi et al 2003;Sturges et al 2006). The otitis of the middle ear is usually problematic for diagnosis (Allgoewer et al 2000).…”