title: Spinal cord injury resulting from incorrect microchip placement in a cat.
abstract: A 2-year-old, male neutered domestic shorthair cat was presented for investigation of an acute onset of tetraparesis immediately following the implantation of a pet identification microchip. A left-sided C6-T2 spinal segment localisation was suspected from the neurological examination, with spinal cord trauma being the primary differential diagnosis. Myelography demonstrated obliteration of the contrast columns by the microchip at the C5-C6 intervertebral disc space. A dorsal laminectomy was undertaken and the microchip was successfully removed. Eleven months after the surgery, the cat was able to weight bear in all limbs but with mild residual paresis in the left thoracic limb.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Small Animal Studies, Animal Health Trust, Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 7UU, UK. simon.platt@aht.org.uk
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Platt
authors.forename: Lara
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wieczorek
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dennis
authors.forename: Alberta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Stefani
mesh_terms: D000823:Animal Identification Systems / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000662:veterinary*; D000818:Animals; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D002415:Cats; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004581:Electronics; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000150:complications / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery / Q000662:veterinary*; D016896:Treatment Outcome