Central Nervous System - Vascular Pathology
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- Vascular pathology if the CNS is less common in animals than in humans.
- Pathologies include:
- Thrombosis
- Infarction
- Haemorrhage
- These can occur:
- Spontaneously
- Secondary to drug therapy
- E.g. L-asparaginase or anti-coagulants.
- With thrombocytopaenia or other bleeding disorders
- With trauma
- With hypertension
- With atherosclerosis from hypothyroidism
- With infection
- I.e. septic emboli.
- MRI and CT may detect haemorrhage and infaction.
Hypertension Related Brain Haemorrhage
- Not uncommon in geriatric cats.
- Hypertension is defined as a systolic pressure greater than 175mmHg.
- The systemic hypertension may be:
- Primary
- Secondary to:
- Hyperthyroidism
- Chronic renal failure
- Diabetes mellitus
- Acromegaly
- Chronic severe anaemia
- Hyperadrenocorticism
- Hyperaldosternism
- Phaeochromocytoma.
- For this reason, cats presenting with forebrain disease should first have their blood pressure checked.
- If raised, this should be treated before further investigation takes place.