The veterinary journal
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The veterinary journal · Aug 2013
ReviewMyokymia and neuromyotonia in veterinary medicine: a comparison with peripheral nerve hyperexcitability syndrome in humans.
Involuntary muscle hyperactivity can result from muscle or peripheral nerve hyperexcitability or central nervous system dysfunction. In humans, diseases causing hyperexcitability of peripheral nerves are grouped together under the term 'peripheral nerve hyperexcitability' (PNH). Hyperexcitability of the peripheral motor nerve can result into five different phenotypic main variants, i.e. fasciculations, myokymia, neuromyotonia, cramps and tetany, each with their own clinical and electromyographic characteristics. ⋯ A dysfunction of the potassium channel or its associated proteins has been found in many human syndromes characterized by PNH, in particular in generalized myokymia and neuromyotonia, and is suspected to occur in veterinary medicine. Potential pathomechanisms of potassium channel dysfunction leading to signs of PNH are broad and include genetic mutations, antibody-mediated attack or ion channel maldistribution due to axonal degeneration or demyelination. A more accurate classification of the different PNH syndromes will facilitate a more rapid diagnosis and guide further research into natural occurring PNH in animals.
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The veterinary journal · Aug 2013
Cerebrospinal fluid tau protein as a biomarker for severity of spinal cord injury in dogs with intervertebral disc herniation.
Intervertebral disc herniation (IVDH) is a common cause of spinal cord injury (SCI) in dogs. Microtubule-associated protein tau derives predominantly from neurons and axons, making it a potential marker of neuronal injury. A retrospective study, including 51 dogs with thoracolumbar or cervical IVDH and 12 clinically normal dogs, was designed to describe associations between cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tau concentration, degree of neurological signs and motor functional recovery in dogs with IVDH. ⋯ Plegic dogs that improved by one neurological grade within 1 week had significantly lower tau protein levels compared to plegic dogs that needed more time for recovery or did not show an improvement (P=0.008). A CSF tau concentration >41.3 pg/mL had a sensitivity of 86% and specificity of 83% to predict an unsuccessful outcome in plegic dogs based on ROC analysis (area under the curve, 0.887; P=0.007, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.717-1.057). CSF protein tau levels are positively associated with the severity of spinal cord damage and may serve as a prognostic indicator in dogs with IVDH.
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The veterinary journal · Aug 2013
The use of an electronic von Frey device for evaluation of sensory threshold in neurologically normal dogs and those with acute spinal cord injury.
The utility and inter-session repeatability of sensory threshold measurements using an electronic von Frey anesthesiometer (VFA) were assessed in a group of six neurologically normal dogs. Sensory threshold values obtained in neurologically normal dogs were compared to those of dogs with acute spinal cord injury (SCI) caused by intervertebral disc extrusion (n=6) and to a group of neurologically normal dogs with cranial cruciate ligament rupture (CCLR; n=6). Sensory threshold values in neurologically normal dogs were 155.8 ± 37.7 g and 154.7 ± 67.2 g for the left and right pelvic limbs, respectively. ⋯ Mean sensory threshold values for the group with SCI were significantly higher than those for neurologically normal dogs at 351.1 ± 116.5 g and 420.3 ± 157.7 g for the left and right pelvic limbs, respectively (P=0.01). A comparison of sensory threshold values for the group with CCLR and neurologically normal dogs was not statistically significant (P>0.05). The modified dorsal technique for VFA described here represents a reliable method to assess sensory threshold in neurologically normal dogs and in those with SCI.
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The veterinary journal · Jun 2013
Clinical TrialUltrasound-guided femoral nerve block as a diagnostic aid in demonstrating quadriceps involvement in bovine spastic paresis.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical effects of a femoral nerve block via a dorsal paralumbar injection in healthy calves and calves suffering from spastic paresis. Based on bony landmarks and using ultrasound guidance, the femoral nerves of eight healthy calves were blocked bilaterally with a 4% procaine solution containing blue dye. In 11/16 nerve blocks, paralysis of the quadriceps muscle was obtained after dorsal paralumbar injection. ⋯ Clinical use of the technique was then demonstrated in two cases of atypical bovine spastic paresis. In such calves an objective diagnostic tool is required to identify those calves which are suitable for partial tibial neurectomy. The femoral nerve block used in this study has the potential to be such a method and can be used to establish the involvement of the quadriceps femoris in calves suffering from the quadriceps or mixed presentation form of spastic paresis.
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The veterinary journal · Mar 2013
ReviewIntervertebral disc degeneration in the dog. Part 2: chondrodystrophic and non-chondrodystrophic breeds.
Dogs can be grouped into two distinct types of breed based on the predisposition to chondrodystrophy, namely, non-chondrodystrophic (NCD) and chondrodystrophic (CD). In addition to a different process of endochondral ossification, NCD and CD breeds have different characteristics of intravertebral disc (IVD) degeneration and IVD degenerative diseases. The anatomy, physiology, histopathology, and biochemical and biomechanical characteristics of the healthy and degenerated IVD are discussed in the first part of this two-part review. This second part describes the similarities and differences in the histopathological and biochemical characteristics of IVD degeneration in CD and NCD canine breeds and discusses relevant aetiological factors of IVD degeneration.