Proceedings 31st Symposium ESVN-ECVN

An 18 month‐old male Cavalier King Charles Spaniel presented for evaluation of cervical hyperesthesia. Brain and spinal MRI revealed a thickening and sclerosis (markedly hypointense signal on T1 sequences) of the calvaria with complete absence of bone marrow in the bones of the skull and vertebral bodies. There was severe Chiari‐like malformation with herniation of the cerebellum and medulla into the foramen magnum. The occipital bone was markedly dysplastic and was compressing the caudal aspect of the cerebellum. The medulla was compressed by the cerebellum dorsally and by the dens of the axis ventrally. Spinal MRI revealed syringomyelia within the C2‐C3 and C5‐L3 segments. The maximal width of a syrinx (4.8mm) occurred at the level of T4, at which level very little spinal cord parenchyma remained. Radiography confirmed thickening of the cortices and narrowing of the medullary cavities of the appendicular skeleton. Haematology confirmed a non‐regenerative anaemia consistent with myelopthisis.