A 13 mo old mixed-breed dog was referred for acute lateralized forebrain signs. MRI of the brain demonstrated abnormalities consistent with severe meningitis and subdural empyema secondary to a retrobulbar abscess. The dog’s clinical signs improved with antibiotic therapy, and repeat imaging showed resolution of subdural fluid accumulation presumed to be empyema with mild residual meningeal enhancement. Subdural empyema is an infrequent cause of encephalopathy in small animals and usually develops through direct extension of a pericranial infection. This report presents a case of presumptive subdural empyema in a dog that was successfully treated without surgical intervention. MRI is the preferred imaging modality for diagnosis of subdural empyema, and the characteristic imaging features are described.
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July/August 2014
Case Reports|
August 01 2014
Presumptive Subdural Empyema in a Dog
Taemi Horikawa, DVM;
Animal Eye Center, Rocklin, CA (T.H.); Pittsburgh Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center, Pittsburgh, PA (E.M.); and PetRays Veterinary Radiology Consultants, The Woodlands, TX (A.B.).
Correspondence: [email protected] (T.H.)
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Edward MacKillop, DVM, DACVIM (Neurology);
Edward MacKillop, DVM, DACVIM (Neurology)
Animal Eye Center, Rocklin, CA (T.H.); Pittsburgh Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center, Pittsburgh, PA (E.M.); and PetRays Veterinary Radiology Consultants, The Woodlands, TX (A.B.).
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Anne Bahr, MS, DVM, DACVR
Anne Bahr, MS, DVM, DACVR
Animal Eye Center, Rocklin, CA (T.H.); Pittsburgh Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center, Pittsburgh, PA (E.M.); and PetRays Veterinary Radiology Consultants, The Woodlands, TX (A.B.).
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J Am Anim Hosp Assoc (2014) 50 (4): 291–295.
Citation
Taemi Horikawa, Edward MacKillop, Anne Bahr; Presumptive Subdural Empyema in a Dog. J Am Anim Hosp Assoc 1 July 2014; 50 (4): 291–295. doi: https://doi.org/10.5326/JAAHA-MS-6030
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