Distribution of syringomyelia along the entire spinal cord in clinically affected Cavalier King Charles Spaniels

• Published in: The veterinary journal (1997) 2011-12, Vol.190 (3), p.359-363
• Main Authors: Loderstedt, Shenja, Benigni, Livia, Chandler, Kate, Cardwell, Jacqueline M., Rusbridge, Clare, Lamb, Christopher R., Volk, Holger A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anatomy; Animals; Arnold-Chiari Malformation - diagnostic imaging; Arnold-Chiari Malformation - veterinary; Brain - diagnostic imaging; Cavalier King Charles Spaniel; Chiari-like malformation; Dog Diseases - diagnostic imaging; Dog Diseases - pathology; Dogs; Female; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - veterinary; Male; MRI; Radiography; Severity of Illness Index; Species Specificity; Spinal Cord - diagnostic imaging; Syringomyelia; Syringomyelia - diagnostic imaging; Syringomyelia - pathology; Syringomyelia - veterinary
• ISSN: 1090-0233; 1532-2971
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2010.12.002

Chiari-like malformation (CM) and syringomyelia (SM) is an important disease complex in the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (CKCS) but data about the anatomical distribution of SM along the spinal cord are lacking in veterinary medicine. The objective of this study was to define the anatomic distribution of SM in CKCS clinically affected by CM/SM. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain and the entire spinal cord of 49 dogs was performed and different morphological parameters compared. Syrinx formation was present in the C1–C4 region and in other parts of the spinal cord. The maximal dorsoventral syrinx size can occur in any region of the spinal cord and the total syrinx size was positively correlated with age. Seventy-six per cent of CKCS with a cranial cervical syrinx also have a syrinx affecting more caudal spinal cord regions. MRI restricted to the cervical region may underestimate the extent of SM and the severity of the disease process in the majority of dogs.