title: Porencephaly and cortical dysplasia as cause of seizures in a dog.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Seizures are a common problem in small animal neurology and it may be related to underlying diseases. Porencephaly is an extremely rare disorder, and in Veterinary Medicine it affects more often ruminants, with only few reports in dogs.
  
  
  METHODS
  A one-year-old intact male Shih-Tzu dog was referred to Veterinary University Hospital with history of abnormal gait and generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Signs included hypermetria, abnormal nystagmus and increased myotatic reflexes. At necropsy, during the brain analysis, a cleft was observed in the left parietal and occipital lobes, creating a communication between the subarachnoid space and the left lateral ventricle, consistent with porencephaly; and also a focal atrophy of the caudal paravermal and vermal portions of the cerebellum. Furthermore, the histological examination showed cortical and cerebellar neuronal dysplasia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reports of seizures due to porencephaly are rare in dogs. In this case, the dog presented a group of brain abnormalities which per se or in assemblage could result in seizure manifestation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Clinics, Surgery and Reproduction, UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista, College of Veterinary Medicine, Rua Clóvis Pestana, 793, Araçatuba, SP, CEP 16050-680, Brazil. giselem@fmva.unesp.br
authors.forename: Gisele Fabrino
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.forename: Maria-Gisela
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Laranjeira
authors.forename: Augusto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schweigert
authors.forename: Guilherme Dias
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: de Melo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D004285:Dogs; D008297:Male; D054220:Malformations of Cortical Development / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D012640:Seizures / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary*