[en] [en] INTRODUCTION: Numerous vertebral anomalies have been characterised in dogs, whereas congenital vertebral malformations in cats have been less frequently described. The aim of the present study was to report and describe a vertebral malformation in cats recently reported in dogs-vertebral vascular canal dysplasia (VVCD)-to apply the previously reported scoring system to a feline study population, and to evaluate its inter- and intra-observer agreement.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: CT and MRI studies from five different feline populations were retrospectively evaluated. Patients were included as VVCD-affected if they showed single or multiple VVCDs of the thoracic vertebral column and were scored using the previously published canine scoring system.
RESULTS: A total of 2,037 cats were evaluated, of which 541 (26.6%) were found to have VVCD. In addition to the thoracic vertebrae, cervical and lumbar vertebrae were also affected. Different score distributions were observed across thoracic vertebrae, suggesting a possible regional pattern. Most patients underwent CT (508), while only 33 had MRI.
DISCUSSION: CT was considered superior due to its higher spatial resolution and the availability of axial/transverse images for all vertebral bodies, which allowed improved visualisation of vertebral body anatomy and better evaluation of the form, shape, and depth of the dysplastic vascular canals. Especially in more subtle cases, transverse views were necessary to confirm the presence and assess the extent of VVCD. Intra- and interobserver agreement was variable (range 0.543-1.000 and 0.225-0.894, respectively) depending on adjustments to the scoring system, reflecting the role of subjectivity in the interpretation of VVCD with this system. Clinical relevance was not assessed. Future studies are required to investigate prevalence, explore possible etiologies, and determine the potential clinical significance of VVCD in feline spinal disease.
Research Center/Unit :
FARAH. Médecine vétérinaire comparée - ULiège
Disciplines :
Veterinary medicine & animal health
Author, co-author :
Van Koulil, Q; IVC Evidensia Small Animal Referral Hospital "Hart van Brabant" Neurology, Waalwijk, Netherlands
Santifort, K M; IVC Evidensia Small Animal Referral Hospital "Hart van Brabant" Neurology, Waalwijk, Netherlands ; IVC Evidensia Small Animal Referral Hospital Arnhem Neurology, Arnhem, Netherlands
Willems, D S; IVC Evidensia Small Animal Referral Hospital "Hart van Brabant" Neurology, Waalwijk, Netherlands
Bolen, Géraldine ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Fundamental and Applied Research for Animals and Health (FARAH) > FARAH: Médecine vétérinaire comparée
De Decker, S; Department of Clinical Science and Services, The Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, United Kingdom
Bernardini, M; AniCura Portoni Rossi Veterinary Hospital, Bologna, Italy ; Department of Animal Medicine, Productions and Health, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
Bergknut, N; IVC Evidensia Small Animal Referral Hospital "Hart van Brabant" Neurology, Waalwijk, Netherlands
Van Soens, Iris ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département d'Enseignement et de Clinique des animaux de Compagnie (DCC) > Neurologie des animaux de compagnie ; IVC Evidensia Small Animal Referral Hospital "Hart van Brabant" Neurology, Waalwijk, Netherlands
Language :
English
Title :
Vertebral vascular canal dysplasia in cats: signalment, CT and MRI characteristics, and prevalence.
The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research and/or publication of this article. The authors wish to thank IVC Evidensia Research Fund, for providing funding for the publication of this study.
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