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Animals
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Current Status of Neuromuscular Disorders in Companion Animals—Case Reports
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Current Status of Neuromuscular Disorders in Companion Animals—Case Reports

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Companion Animals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 July 2024 | Viewed by 3188

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Theresa E. Pancotto

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
Interests: clinical veterinary education; neurosurgery; seizures; electrodiagnostics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Erik Johnson

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Pacific Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Hospital, Lafayette, CA, USA
Interests: neurosurgery; electrodiagnostics; client communication
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Diseases of the motor unit, which present as nervous system disorders, are uncommonly diagnosed in companion animals. Most of these diseases are poorly characterized and understood. However, when present, they may significantly compromise the qualities of life of animals and often respond poorly to empirical therapy. The proper recognition of a suspected motor unit disease is imperative to create the appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic plans for these patients and thus improve their quality of life.

This Special Issue will present case reports concerning the diagnosis and treatment of neuromuscular diseases in companion animals. The aim is to improve our understanding of these obscure diseases, creating a concise, comprehensive manual for veterinary neurologists.

Dr. Theresa E. Pancotto
Dr. Erik Johnson
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • motor unit disease
  • neuromuscular disease
  • dog
  • cat
  • electrodiagnostic study
  • lower motor neuron

Published Papers (2 papers)

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11 pages, 1389 KiB  
Case Report
Successful Emergency Management of a Dog with Ventilator-Dependent Acquired Myasthenia Gravis with Immunoadsorption
by Florian Sänger, Stefanie Dörfelt, Bettina Giani, Gesine Buhmann, Andrea Fischer and René Dörfelt
Animals 2024, 14(1), 33; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14010033 (registering DOI) - 21 Dec 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 942
Abstract
A one-year-old, female intact Samoyed, 12.5 kg, was presented with coughing for 2 weeks, progressive appendicular and axial muscle weakness, megaesophagus and labored breathing for 5 days. There was no improvement with standard treatment. Acquired myasthenia gravis was suspected and the dog was [...] Read more.
A one-year-old, female intact Samoyed, 12.5 kg, was presented with coughing for 2 weeks, progressive appendicular and axial muscle weakness, megaesophagus and labored breathing for 5 days. There was no improvement with standard treatment. Acquired myasthenia gravis was suspected and the dog was referred with increasing dyspnea. At presentation, the dog showed a severely reduced general condition, was non-ambulatory and showed abdominal and severely labored breathing. A marked hypercapnia (PvCO2 = 90.1 mmHg) was present in venous blood gas analysis. The serum anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody test was consistent with acquired myasthenia gravis (2.1 nmol/L). The dog was anesthetized with propofol and mechanically ventilated with a Hamilton C1 ventilator. Immunoadsorption was performed with the COM.TEC® and ADAsorb® platforms and a LIGASORB® adsorber to eliminate anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies. Local anticoagulation was performed with citrate. Treatment time for immunoadsorption was 1.5 h with a blood flow of 50 mL/min. A total plasma volume of 1.2 L was processed. Further medical treatment included intravenous fluid therapy, maropitant, esomeprazole, antibiotic therapy for aspiration pneumonia and neostigmine 0.04 mg/kg intramuscularly every 6 h for treatment of acquired myasthenia gravis. Mechanical ventilation was stopped after 12 h. A percutaneous gastric feeding tube was inserted under endoscopic control on day 2 for further medical treatment and nutrition. A second treatment with immunoadsorption was performed on day 3. Again, a total plasma volume of 1.2 L was processed. Immediately after this procedure, the dog regained muscle strength and was able to stand and to walk. After 6 days, the dog was discharged from the hospital. This is the first report of immunoadsorption for emergency management of a dog with acute-fulminant acquired myasthenia gravis. Immunoadsorption may be an additional option for emergency treatment in dogs with severe signs of acquired myasthenia gravis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Status of Neuromuscular Disorders in Companion Animals—Case Reports)
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7 pages, 238 KiB  
Case Report
Clinical Diagnosis of Rhabdomyolysis without Myoglobinuria or Electromyographic Abnormalities in a Dog
by Koen Maurits Santifort, Marta Plonek and Paul J. J. Mandigers
Animals 2023, 13(11), 1747; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13111747 - 25 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1931
Abstract
A 2-year-old female neutered Old German Shepherd was presented for acute non-ambulatory tetraparesis. Upon presentation to the emergency department, hematology and biochemical blood tests revealed no abnormalities aside from mildly elevated C-reactive protein levels (22.5 mg/L, reference range 0.0–10.0) and immeasurable creatine kinase [...] Read more.
A 2-year-old female neutered Old German Shepherd was presented for acute non-ambulatory tetraparesis. Upon presentation to the emergency department, hematology and biochemical blood tests revealed no abnormalities aside from mildly elevated C-reactive protein levels (22.5 mg/L, reference range 0.0–10.0) and immeasurable creatine kinase (CK) activity. Neurological evaluation the next day revealed ambulatory tetraparesis, general proprioceptive deficits, mild ataxia and dubious diffuse myalgia. Withdrawal reflexes were weak on both thoracic and pelvic limbs. The CK was determined to be significantly elevated at that point (32.856 U/L, ref. range 10.0–200.0). Urinalysis revealed no abnormalities. An electromyographic (EMG) study of thoracic limb, paraspinal and pelvic limb muscles revealed no abnormalities. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study of the cervicothoracic spinal cord was performed and revealed no abnormalities. A presumptive clinical diagnosis of rhabdomyolysis without myoglobinuria or EMG abnormalities was formed. Muscular biopsies were declined due to the rapid clinical improvement of the dog. A follow-up showed the progressive decline of CK activity to normal values and clinical remission of signs. A diagnosis of rhabdomyolysis was concluded based on clinical signs, consistent CK activity elevations and the response to supportive treatment for rhabdomyolysis, despite the absence of myoglobinuria and EMG abnormalities. Rhabdomyolysis should not be excluded based on the lack of EMG abnormalities or myoglobinuria in dogs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Current Status of Neuromuscular Disorders in Companion Animals—Case Reports)
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