Clinical Unit of Internal Medicine Small Animals, Department for Companion Animals and Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Clinical Pathology, Department of Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
J Feline Med Surg. 2023 Mar;25(3):1098612X231158573. doi: 10.1177/1098612X231158573.
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis is used in the diagnostic investigation of cats with epileptic seizures. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of CSF analysis in cats with epileptic seizures that have unremarkable brain MRI or only hippocampal signal changes.
Unremarkable brain MRI or MRI studies with signal alterations in the hippocampus only in cats with suspected epilepsy and CFS analysis performed at the Small Animal Internal Department or Diagnostic Imaging Department at Vetmeduni Vienna, Austria, between 2011 and 2017 were reviewed. Total nucleated cell count, total protein, blood contamination and cytology data from CSF analysis were evaluated.
In total, 87 cats were included. Seventy cats (80.5%) had unremarkable MRI, five (5.7%) had hippocampal signal changes with contrast enhancement and 12 (13.8%) had hippocampal signal changes without contrast enhancement. Overall, four cats (4.6%) had abnormalities on CSF analysis; all (100%) had an increased total nucleated cell count (22 cells/μl, 7 cells/μl, 6 cells/μl and 6 cells/μl, respectively), and no cat had increased total protein (100%), although in one cat total protein was not evaluated. Three of these cats had unremarkable MRI and one had hippocampal signal changes without contrast enhancement. The median duration of epileptic signs prior to the MRI study was 2 days.
Our results show that, in our cohort of epileptic cats with unremarkable brain MRI or with hippocampal signal changes, CSF analysis was usually normal. This should be considered before performing a CSF tap.
脑脊液（CSF）分析用于诊断患有癫痫发作的猫。本回顾性研究的目的是评估在无明显脑 MRI 或仅海马信号改变的癫痫发作的猫中 CSF 分析的诊断价值。
对 2011 年至 2017 年间在奥地利维也纳兽医大学小动物内科或诊断成像科怀疑癫痫且进行了 CSF 分析的无明显脑 MRI 或 MRI 研究仅有海马信号改变的猫进行了回顾性研究。评估 CSF 分析的总核细胞计数、总蛋白、血液污染和细胞学数据。
共纳入 87 只猫。70 只（80.5%）猫 MRI 无明显异常，5 只（5.7%）猫海马信号改变伴增强，12 只（13.8%）猫海马信号改变无增强。总体而言，4 只（4.6%）猫 CSF 分析异常；所有（100%）猫总核细胞计数升高（分别为 22 个细胞/μl、7 个细胞/μl、6 个细胞/μl 和 6 个细胞/μl），且无一猫总蛋白升高（100%），尽管有一只猫未评估总蛋白。这 3 只猫 MRI 无明显异常，1 只猫海马信号改变无增强。MRI 研究前癫痫症状的中位持续时间为 2 天。
我们的结果表明，在我们的癫痫猫队列中，无明显脑 MRI 或海马信号改变，CSF 分析通常正常。在进行 CSF 穿刺前应考虑这一点。
