IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Schulz, J.; Hammond, E.E.; Haymon, M.; Ramis, A.; Martorell, J.; Aguilar, R.F. | |
| Magnetic resonance imaging as a method of diagnosing leukoencephalopathy in a cheetah _(Acinonyx jubatus)_ | |
| 2003 Verhandlungsbericht des.Internationalen Symposiums ber die Erkrankungen der Zoo- und Wildtiere (41): 1-6 | |
Leukoencephalopathy is a recently described disease of cheetahs characterized by white matter degeneration in specific areas of the brain. A 12-year-old male cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) presented with progressive hind-limb ataxia and incoordination of 22-month duration. Magnetic resonance imaging was utilized as a diagnostic technique. The regions of interest were defined as brain and spinal cord. Images produced by magnetic resonance did not show changes in the intensity of the cerebral white matter consistent with a chronic degenerative process. The absence of clear lesions on the MRI implies a final diagnosis can not be made until the animals' signs worsen, and a follow up MRI shows unequivocal lesions, or until C.N.S. lesions can be detected postmortem by means of histopathology. The animal's chronic neurologic signs, apparent occasional blindness, and slow recovery from anesthesia, associated with severe neurologic signs during recovery, indicate it will remain a strong clinical suspect of leukoencephalopathy. Should the animal in this case be found positive, it would suggest that the disease may be suspected clinically before magnetic resonance imaging is a diagnostic option. |
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