GAIT ABNORMALITIES: IS IT LAME OR NEUROLOGIC (PART I AND II) NEUROLOGIC EXAMINATION AND DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS

摘要

Many veterinarians feel that the evaluation of neurologic disease is a complicated and difficult procedure. In fact, the neurologic examination is straightforward; the key is to do the examination in a consistent and organized fashion. Develop a routine, then do it the same way each time. This approach ensures that you don't forget some parts of the examination, as well as increasing your consistency as you get to see many horses performing the same maneuver. A standardized examination form is a valuable aid in this, and can be concise (Figure 1). The goals of the neurologic examination are to determine if disease of the nervous system exists, to localize the lesion to a particular area of the nervous system, and to describe and record the responsesas a baseline for future evaluations. It is also important to recognize that the neurologic examination should not take place "in a vacuum"- it is only one part of a complete physical examination, and will be used in concert with the other physical examination findings to reach a final conclusion about the horse. Signalment and history are important, and should never be overlooked.