Abstract
BackgroundChiari-like malformation in the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a herniation of the cerebellum and brainstem into or through the foramen magnum. This condition predisposes to Syringomyelia; fluid filled syrinxes within the spinal cord. The resulting pathology in spinal cord and cerebellum create neuropathic pain and changes in gait. This study aims to quantify the changes in gait for Cavalier King Charles Spaniel with Chiari-like malformation and Syringomyelia.MethodsWe compared Cavalier King Charles Spaniel with Chiari-like malformation with (n = 9) and without (n = 8) Syringomyelia to Border Terriers (n = 8). Two video cameras and manual tracking was used to quantify gait parameters.Results and conclusionsWe found a significant increase in coefficient of variation for the spatio-temporal characteristics and ipsilateral distance between paws and a wider base of support in the thoracic limbs but not in the pelvic limbs for Cavalier King Charles Spaniels compared with the border terrier.
Highlights
Chiari-like malformation in the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a herniation of the cerebellum and brainstem into or through the foramen magnum
MRIs were performed on the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (CKCS) dogs as they were enrolled in other studies or screened for breeding purposes
Eight Border Terriers were recruited for the control group (Control) group with a median age of 5 years ranging from 8 months to 9 years
Summary
Chiari-like malformation in the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a herniation of the cerebellum and brainstem into or through the foramen magnum This condition predisposes to Syringomyelia; fluid filled syrinxes within the spinal cord. The breed shows a high degree of juvenile behaviour and brachycephalic traits associated with a juvenile morphology (paedomorphic) when compared with the wolf and other companion dog breeds [1] This selection for paedomorphism may have resulted in a specific morphology of the skull and brain, leading to a hereditary pathological mismatch between skull volume and brain volume, with a resulting herniation of part of the cerebellum and brainstem into or through the foramen magnum, a condition called Chiari-like Malformation (CM). It is believed that more than half of CKCS with
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