Equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy: prevalence, impact, and management

Burns, Erin; Finno, Carrie J.

doi:10.2147/vmrr.s148542

Cited by 17 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…The histological lesions and the results of the examinations excluded other diseases, such as EDM or a nematode infection. EDM affects animals that are genetically predisposed to the disease, that have disorders of vitamin E absorption, limited access to pasture or excess exposure to insecticides, all of which were excluded in the presented case [3, 25]. The histological lesions visible in the course of EDM affect the dorsal grey column, while those in CVSM affect the white matter.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of the clinical and radiographic appearance of the cervical vertebrae with histological and anatomical findings in an eight-month old warmblood stallion suffering from cervical vertebral stenotic myelopathy (CVSM)

et al. 2019

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Background Cervical vertebral stenotic myelopathy (CVSM) remains one of the most important abnormalities of the cervical spine resulting in neurological deficits in horses. The aim of the following study was to compare the results of the clinical and neurological examination, the results of myelography and the post mortem anatomical and histological appearance of the spinal cord and cervical vertebrae in a horse with CVSM. Case presentation The following study describes a clinical case of an eight-month-old stallion with ataxia. Plain cervical radiographs indicated narrowing of the spinal canal. Conservative therapy using NSAIDs did not result in any improvement in the gait of the horse. Due to economic constraints, surgical intervention was excluded. The owner chose to humanely euthanise the horse. Immediately after euthanasia, post mortem myelography was performed, and measurements of the myelographic dye column were taken. They revealed a 67% DMC reduction and a 64% DD reduction at the C3/C4 level. Afterwards, an anatomical dissection was performed. The cervical vertebrae and vertebral canal were macroscopically inspected and measured and indicated a 44% narrowing of the canal at the C3/C4 level. The spinal cord was removed and underwent histological evaluation after staining. Microscopic lesions were visible at the level of the compression and included axonal degeneration with partial or complete loss of myelin in the white matter of the lateral and dorsal funiculi as well as the formation of dysfunctional so-called “spongy structures”. An increase in the number of microglial cells and collagen was also observed. The formation of glial scars was excluded. Immunohistochemical studies revealed a negative transmembrane glycoprotein CD68(−) – monocyte response and a negative tumor necrosis alpha TNFα (−) reaction. Conclusions CVSM may be difficult to diagnose, even for experienced veterinary surgeons. Currently, an ex vivo histopathologic examination of the spinal cord is thought to be the gold standard in the diagnosis of CVSM. Our histological examination revealed no CVSM-specific glial scar formation and a CD68(−) negative and TNF-α negative reaction, which have not been previously reported. Histological lesions in CVSM may vary depending show inter-individual variability and on the treatment, which further hinders ex-vivo diagnostics.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of the clinical and radiographic appearance of the cervical vertebrae with histological and anatomical findings in an eight-month old warmblood stallion suffering from cervical vertebral stenotic myelopathy (CVSM)

et al. 2019

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“…Vitamin E deficiencies and resulting neurologic diseases affect both humans and animals. 1,2,7,13,26,30,31 In particular, horses receive their dietary intake of vitamin E from grazing pasture, and genetically susceptible foals who do not have access to enough fresh pasture during the first year of their lives may develop equine neuroaxonal dystrophy (eNAD). eNAD is a disease characterized by axonal degeneration within the brainstem and spinal cord, leading to general proprioceptive ataxia.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simultaneous quantification of vitamin E and vitamin E metabolites in equine plasma and serum using LC-MS/MS

et al. 2021

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Vitamin E deficiencies can impact normal growth and development in humans and animals, and assessment of circulating levels of vitamin E and its metabolites may be an important endpoint for evaluation. Development of a sensitive method to detect and quantify low concentrations of vitamin E and metabolites in biological specimens allows for a proper diagnosis for patients and animals that are deficient. We developed a method to simultaneously extract, detect, and quantify the vitamin E compounds alpha-tocopherol (α-TP), gamma-tocopherol (γ-TP), alpha-tocotrienol (α-TT), and gamma-tocotrienol (γ-TT), and the corresponding metabolites formed after β-oxidation of α-TP and γ-TP, alpha-carboxymethylbutyl hydroxychroman (α-CMBHC) and alpha- or gamma-carboxyethyl hydroxychroman (α- or γ-CEHC), respectively, from equine plasma and serum. Quantification was achieved through liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. We applied a 96-well high-throughput format using a Phenomenex Phree plate to analyze plasma and serum. Compounds were separated by using a Waters ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 column with a reverse-phase gradient. The limits of detection for the metabolites and vitamin E compounds were 8–330 pg/mL. To validate the method, intra-day and inter-day accuracy and precision were evaluated along with limits of detection and quantification. The method was then applied to determine concentrations of these analytes in plasma and serum of horses. Alpha-TP levels were 3–6 µg/mL of matrix; the metabolites were found at much lower levels, 0.2–1.0 ng/mL of matrix.

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“…Spinal ataxia is common in horses. In the United States, equine protozoal myeloencephalitis is an important cause of spinal ataxia, but worldwide, cervical vertebral compressive myelopathy (CVCM) and neuroaxonal dystrophy (NAD)/equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy (EDM) are common diseases . Ataxic horses are often euthanized because they are no longer suitable for riding purposes and a suspected genetic background makes them less desirable for breeding.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accuracy of transcranial magnetic stimulation and a Bayesian latent class model for diagnosis of spinal cord dysfunction in horses

Rijckaert

Raes

Buczinski

et al. 2020

Veterinary Internal Medicne

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Background Spinal cord dysfunction/compression and ataxia are common in horses. Presumptive diagnosis is most commonly based on neurological examination and cervical radiography, but the interest into the diagnostic value of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) with recording of magnetic motor evoked potentials has increased. The problem for the evaluation of diagnostic tests for spinal cord dysfunction is the absence of a gold standard in the living animal. Objectives To compare diagnostic accuracy of TMS, cervical radiography, and neurological examination. Animals One hundred seventy‐four horses admitted at the clinic for neurological examination. Methods Retrospective comparison of neurological examination, cervical radiography, and different TMS criteria, using Bayesian latent class modeling to account for the absence of a gold standard. Results The Bayesian estimate of the prevalence (95% CI) of spinal cord dysfunction was 58.1 (48.3%‐68.3%). Sensitivity and specificity of neurological examination were 97.6 (91.4%‐99.9%) and 74.7 (61.0%‐96.3%), for radiography they were 43.0 (32.3%‐54.6%) and 77.3 (67.1%‐86.1%), respectively. Transcranial magnetic stimulation reached a sensitivity and specificity of 87.5 (68.2%‐99.2%) and 97.4 (90.4%‐99.9%). For TMS, the highest accuracy was obtained using the minimum latency time for the pelvic limbs (Youden's index = 0.85). In all evaluated models, cervical radiography performed poorest. Clinical Relevance Transcranial magnetic stimulation‐magnetic motor evoked potential (TMS‐MMEP) was the best test to diagnose spinal cord disease, the neurological examination was the second best, but the accuracy of cervical radiography was low. Selecting animals based on neurological examination (highest sensitivity) and confirming disease by TMS‐MMEP (highest specificity) would currently be the optimal diagnostic strategy.

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Equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy: prevalence, impact, and management

Cited by 17 publications

References 25 publications

Comparison of the clinical and radiographic appearance of the cervical vertebrae with histological and anatomical findings in an eight-month old warmblood stallion suffering from cervical vertebral stenotic myelopathy (CVSM)

Comparison of the clinical and radiographic appearance of the cervical vertebrae with histological and anatomical findings in an eight-month old warmblood stallion suffering from cervical vertebral stenotic myelopathy (CVSM)

Simultaneous quantification of vitamin E and vitamin E metabolites in equine plasma and serum using LC-MS/MS

Accuracy of transcranial magnetic stimulation and a Bayesian latent class model for diagnosis of spinal cord dysfunction in horses

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