Page 820 - Clinical Small Animal Internal Medicine

788 Section 8 Neurologic Disease

behavior. Clinical signs may be modified or disappear have been found to harbor Cuterebra larvae within the cra-
VetBooks.ir with time and, unlike other forms of cerebrovascular nial vault (commonly within the olfactory bulbs and
optic nerves following migration through the cribiform
accident, multiple episodes may occur. Hematology,
blood chemistries, and skull radiographs are usually
ated with the migration track of the parasite. However,
normal while MRI reveals classic signs of a major plate) – and some of the changes visualized are associ-
ischemic infarct. CSF analysis may be normal or show much of the vascular compromise occurs in locations
mild to moderate elevations in cell numbers (usually distant to the parasite, suggesting an elaborated toxic factor
monocytic) or protein levels. Lesions are usually unilat- causing disseminated vasospasm and consequent
eral and may involve up to 75% of one cerebral and/or ischemia. It should be noted that although this association
cerebellar hemisphere. The major area of infarction is has been noted in the US, some cats in other countries in
frequently in the distribution of the middle cerebral which Cuterebra is not found can also be affected with sim-
artery. ilar ischemic lesions.
The cause of this enigmatic ischemic condition has Treatment is largely supportive. Prognosis is often
been uncertain but clinical similarities between FIE and favorable since many of the signs seen initially will ame-
Cuterebra infection of the brain have historically been liorate; however, behavioral changes and uncontrollable
noted. Intriguingly, at postmortem some of these cats seizures may persist.