ABSTRACT
Ischemic myelopathy is a disorder of acute onset that is characterized by nonprogressive paresis/plegia. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is particularly helpful in supporting the antemortem diagnosis of ischemic myelopathy. Cats, which were suspected to have ischemic myelopathy between 2005 and 2008, were reviewed retrospectively. The acute onset of nonprogressive and nonpainful myelopathy, the conduct of spine MRI, and the availability of complete medical records were included in the inclusion criteria. The presumptive diagnosis was based on medical history as well as clinical, cerebrospinal fluid, and MRI findings. Six cats met the inclusion criteria based on medical records that had been made for about 3 years, and had relatively good prognoses. The less number of patients with ischemic myelopathy has been reported in cats than in dogs. However, the number of cats with ischemic myelopathy in clinical settings appears to be greater than previously considered.
Subject(s)
Cat Diseases/therapy , Spinal Cord Ischemia/veterinary , Animals , Cats , Female , Male , Retrospective Studies , Spinal Cord Ischemia/pathology , Spinal Cord Ischemia/therapyABSTRACT
A 2-year-old domestic shorthair cat was presented to us with decreased activity and anorexia. Hematologic findings revealed a mild non-regenerative anemia, thrombocytopenia, and leukocytosis with an increase in blast cells. Bone marrow aspirates also revealed a marked increase of blasts. The blastic cells were shown to be positive for peroxidase. Acute myeloblastic leukemia without maturation (M1) was diagnosed according to the FAB classification. Chemotherapy was initiated with cyclophosphamide, vincristine, prednisolone, and cytosine arabinoside. The cat responded partially. In total, the cats were given 7 blood transfusions. The cat died 14 weeks after first being presented to us.
