title: MRI of secondary cervical syringomyelia in four cats.
abstract: This report describes the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to diagnose cervical syringomyelia in 4 cats. MRI revealed enlargement of the lateral ventricle in all the cats. Of the 4 cases, MRI revealed herniation of the cerebellum in 3 cats, an isolated fourth ventricle in 1 cat, severe hydrocephalus in 2 cats and brain masses in 1 cat. In this report, the cervical syringomyelia in these cats may have been due to formation of a secondary syrinx (enlargement of the central canal) as a result of blockage of flow in the outlet of the fourth ventricle caused by FIP encephalomyelitis or secondary cerebellar tonsillar herniation caused by increased intracranial pressure due to intracranial masses or may have been due to caudal compression of the cerebellum caused by increased intracranial pressure due to hydrocephalus.
authors.affiliation: Nihon University Veterinary Research Center, Japan.
authors.forename: Midori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: Masato
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kitagawa
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Takuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Itou
authors.forename: Kiichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kanayama
authors.forename: Takeo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sakai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D002415:Cats; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000473:pathology; D002552:Cerebral Ventricles / Q000473:pathology; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology*; D004677:Encephalocele / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D010291:Paresis / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000473:pathology; D013595:Syringomyelia / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*