15/06/2023
HYPERTROPHIC LEUKOENCEPHALOPATHY
A 3 year Golden Retriever came to us with a history of seizures. What began as sporadic episodes of tonic-clonic seizures had progressed to cluster episodes. The dog had a history of anxiety and increased responsiveness to environmental change. A systematic neurological examination pointed towards UMN disease. Cranial nerve reflexes were normal. The only abnormality on the neuro exam was an absent menace. On the basis of neuro exam, the pathology was localised to the forebrain. An MRI of the brain was performed for accurate diagnosis. The MRI revealed a thickening of the white matter below ectosylvian and suprasylvian gyri with a corresponding thickening and posterior displacement of the splenium of corpus callosum. Hypertrophic encephalopathies do not always occur as a result of inflammation. Some of them are innate which manifest in the adulthood of dogs. The patient has been suggested a contrast MRI for better visualisation and medicines to reverse the excitotoxicity seen at the splenium.