Published in Scientific Works. Series C. Veterinary Medicine, Vol. LXVII, Issue 1
Written by Raluca Mihaela TURBATU, Cristina FERNOAGĂ, Niculae TUDOR, Constantin VLĂGIOIU
The vestibular system is a sensory system comprised of several structures and tracts that is responsible for providing the brain information about spatial orientation and balance. Clinical signs like head tilt, nystagmus, positional strabismus or leaning are cardinal symptoms of a vestibular syndrome in small animal neurology. To establish an appropriate therapeutic plan and to provide owners accurate information regarding the prognosis, a differential diagnosis between a central or a peripheral vestibular disease is essential. In 2019, more than 310 cases of dogs and cats with neurological symptomatology were diagnosed in the Clinic of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Bucharest, in agreement with the protocol already implemented in our practice. Full history, physical examination followed by a complete neurological examination were mandatory steps required to localise the lesion within the four main regions of the brain: forebrain, brain stem, cerebellum or vestibular apparatus. Among the total number of cases, approximately 15% showed clinical signs consistent with a vestibular syndrome. This article aims to present the predisposition factors, clinical features and neurological findings of the 32 dogs and 16 cats diagnosed with vestibular pathology.
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