Spontaneous nervous system concussion in dogs: A description of two cases and a review of terminology in veterinary medicine

Abstract

In human medicine, central nervous system (CNS) concussion is defined as a transient neurological dysfunction following a traumatic event, without evidence of structural abnormalities of the affected region on advanced diagnostic imaging. Depending on the anatomical region involved, three forms of concussive syndromes are described: brain concussion, spinal concussion and cerebellar concussion. Although major textbooks of veterinary neurology admit the existence of canine brain concussion, spontaneous cases of this pathological condition have not been reported in small animals so far. This report describes two cases of concussion in dogs: a 9-month-old, intact male, shih-tzu with brain concussion; and a 10-month-old, intact male, poodle with cerebellar concussion. In addition, a brief review of the definition of the term "concussion" in the veterinary medical literature is provided, in comparison to its meaning in the human medical literature. Finally, this paper proposes an appropriate definition of "concussion" in dogs, that may facilitate clinicians in the recognition of such an elusive syndrome.

CT findings and the prognostic value of the Koret CT score in cats with traumatic brain injury

“…Caudotentorial lesion is less common in cats with TBI, as it was recorded only in 14.2% of the cats in our study and in 10% on MRI. 8 One (7.1%) cat presenting with clinical neurological abnormalities did not have abnormalities on CT. We assume that this case could have suffered brain concussion without structural lesions, or that the brain parenchymal lesions were not detected by CT. 24 MGCS has previously been shown to be significantly correlated with survival, 25 as was also found in our study. It has the advantage of not requiring chemical restraint or expensive equipment, and it can be performed repeatedly to monitor changes in the neurological status of a patient.…”

“…One (7.1%) cat presenting with clinical neurological abnormalities did not have abnormalities on CT. We assume that this case could have suffered brain concussion without structural lesions, or that the brain parenchymal lesions were not detected by CT. 24 …”