Porencephaly is the congenital cerebral defect and a rare malformation and described few MRI reports in veterinary medicine. MRI features of porencephaly are recognized the coexistence with the unilateral/bilateral hippocampal atrophy, caused by the seizure symptoms in human medicine. We studied 2 dogs and 1 cat with congenital porencephaly to characterize the clinical signs and MRI, and to discuss the associated MRI with hippocampal atrophy. The main clinical sign was the seizure symptoms, and all had hippocampal atrophy at the lesion side or the larger defect side. There is association between hippocampal atrophy or the cyst volume and the severe of clinical signs, and it is suggested that porencephaly coexists with hippocampal atrophy as well as humans in this study.

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether lung ultrasonography (LUS) performed around the heart, where the lungs are in contact with the pericardium (ie, pericardial LUS), could be used for the diagnosis of cardiogenic pulmonary edema (CPE) in dogs with degenerative mitral valve disease (DMVD). ANIMALS 15 control dogs with healthy hearts and 26 dogs with DMVD. PROCEDURES In a prospective multicenter study design, dogs with DMVD were assigned to 2 groups: those with CPE (n = 11) and those without CPE (15). Thoracic radiography, echocardiography, and pericardial LUS were performed for all dogs. For pericardial LUS, the left ventricular short-axis view was obtained with a sector probe (dog positioned in right parasternal recumbency) and the number of B lines was recorded. Accuracy of pericardial LUS for the diagnosis of CPE was calculated, with thoracic radiography used as the reference standard. RESULTS On thoracic radiography, all dogs with CPE had a diffuse distribution of interstitial to alveolar pulmonary infiltrates. On pericardial LUS, most control dogs (14/15) and dogs with DMVD but no CPE (13/15) had ≤ 2 B lines, whereas all dogs with DMVD and CPE had ≥ 3 B lines. The presence of ≥ 4 B lines had high sensitivity (91%; 95% confidence interval, 62% to 98%) and excellent specificity (100%; 95% confidence interval, 89% to 100%) for the diagnosis of CPE, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.99. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results suggested that identification of ≥ 4 B lines extending from the epicardium of the left ventricle into the lung field on pericardial LUS may be useful in the diagnosis of CPE in dogs with DMVD. Additional research is needed to determine whether pericardial LUS allows differentiation between CPE and pneumonia.

Recently, a mucosal atomization device (MAD) has been applied in veterinary medicine. In the present study, the maximum volume of nasal atomization without aspiration using MAD was examined in eight healthy female Japanese White (JW) rabbits. Each rabbit had their head and neck examined by computed tomography before and after nasal atomization with four different doses (0.15, 0.3, 0.45, and 0.6 ml per nostril) of diluted contrast medium (1:2 mixture of iohexol and saline). This was done under general anesthesia by an intramuscular administration of alfaxalone 2.5 mg/kg, medetomidine 40 μg/kg, and butorphanol 0.4 mg/kg, with a 7-day washout period between each treatment. The diluted contrast medium was distributed in the nasal cavity, external nares, and/or oral cavity in all rabbits receiving each treatment. The intranasal distribution volumes of the contrast medium were 287 (250-333) mm 3 [median (interquartile range)] for 0.15 ml, 433 (243-555) mm 3 for 0.3 ml, 552 (356-797) mm 3 for 0.45 ml, and 529 (356-722) mm 3 for 0.6 ml of treatment. The intranasal distribution volume for 0.15 ml treatment tended to be lower than that for 0.6 ml treatment (P = 0.083).The contrast medium was deposited in the trachea in one rabbit (12.5%) and four rabbits (50%) receiving treatments of 0.45 and 0.6 ml per nostril, respectively. The maximum volume of nasal atomization without aspiration into the trachea was 0.3 ml per nostril for the JW rabbits.

An 11-year-old Toy Poodle underwent a computed tomography examination with contrast (iohexol) enhancement under anesthesia. Heart rate and R-wave amplitude on electrocardiogram (ECG) increased 2.5 minutes after iohexol administration, and end-tidal carbon dioxide decreased to 12 mmHg. A progressive ST segment depression was observed on ECG. Subsequently, the ECG waveform changed to ventricular fibrillation. However, spontaneous circulation returned following cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Myocardial ischemia or anaphylactic shock was suspected in the dog, which explains the ST segment depression observed on ECG. When performing radiological examinations with a contrast agent, the ECG waveform changes, such as an increase in heart rate, R-wave amplitude, or ST segment depression, should be carefully monitored. This might enable early detection of cardiac dysfunction and the ensuing cardiac arrest in dogs.

A 6-day-old female Holstein displayed a dome-shaped skull and cardiac murmur on physical examination. Neurological abnormalities included progressive ataxia, decreased pupillary light reflex, and blindness soon after birth. On diagnostic imaging, CT identified expanded ventricles and thyroid hypoplasia on the left side. MRI detected expanded ventricles, especially in the rostral cerebrum at the mesencephalic aqueduct, compared with normal calves, so we suspected hydrocephalus causing stenosis of the mesencephalic aqueduct. Postmortem examination revealed a structure in the mesencephalic aqueduct resembling the “web” type of aqueductal stenosis described in humans. This case report indicates the utility of describing mesencephalic aqueductal stenosis by web and detection of other malformations on CT and MRI for antemortem diagnosis in calves.