Cerebellar cortical abiotrophy in two Labrador Retriever puppies.

摘要

This paper presents the clinical symptoms and the histopathological findings of cerebellar cortical abiotrophy. The neurological and histopathological examinations of two Labrador littermates are reported in the paper. Neurological symptoms occurred at three months of age after normal development. The female dog showed moderate ataxia of the hindlimbs with hypermetric movements of the front limbs and uncoordinated swaying of the head. The male dog was unable to stand and showed episodes of opisthotonus and a rotatory nystagmus. Menace response was absent. Pathological changes during histopathological examination were limited to the cortex of the cerebellum. The macroscopic appearance of the cerebellum was unchanged, while the microscopic examination revealed a marked loss of Purkinje cells. The changes were consistent with neonatal cerebellar abiotrophy. It is concluded that even in young animals, the cerebellar cortical abiotrophy should be included in the differential diagnoses for deficits of cerebellar function. First appearance and clinical course as well as histopathological changes vary between breeds.