Clinicopathologic Features and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings in 24 Cats With Histopathologically Confirmed Neurologic Feline Infectious Peritonitis

Crawford, A.H.; Stoll, A.L.; Sanchez-Masian, D.; Shea, A.; Michaels, J.; Fraser, A.R.; Beltran, E.

Nineteen cats underwent MRI of the brain, 4 of the brain and spinal cord, and 1 of the spinal cord only. Abnormalities were detected in all 24 cats. Ventriculomegaly was detected in 20 (86.9%) of the 23 brains imaged (Fig. 1) . Enlargement of all ventricles was present in 7 cats, enlargement of the lateral, third and fourth ventricles in 7, enlargement of the lateral ventricles, third ventricle and mesencephalic aqueduct in 3, and enlargement of the lateral ventricles only in 3 cats. An enlarged quadrigeminal cistern was present in 1 cat. Fifteen of the 19 cats (78.9%) for which FLAIR sequences were available had periventricular T2W hyperintensities, consistent with interstitial edema There is a failure of suppression of the CSF signal (asterisk) and periventricular hyperintensity (arrows). The maximum height of the lateral ventricles (white line) at the level of the interthalamic adhesion was recorded on transverse T2W images as a percentage of the brain height at that level (black line).