PMC7970248_01
Radiograph of the cervicothoracic spine. (a) Lateral radiograph of the cervicothoracic
region of the cat. (b) Expanded lateral radiograph targeting the affected region. (c)
Ventrodorsal view of the cervicothoracic region of the cat
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Skeletal survey radiography revealed vertebral exostoses and extensive osteophytes from the upper cervical vertebra to the lower thoracic vertebra (C2-T10) (Figure 1).
CT imaging of the cat. Sagittal plane of CT of the (a) cervical, (b) thoracic and (c)
lumbar spine. Vertebral exostoses and extensive osteophytes were seen in the cervical
and thoracic spine. Spondylosis was also seen at the lumbosacral junction. (d)
Transverse CT image of the pelvis. A bone fracture was seen (indicated by the arrow)
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CT confirmed vertebral exostoses and extensive osteophytes between C2 and T10 and at the L7-S1 junction with higher CT values (Figure 2a-c), as well as radiographs. A pelvic fracture was also identified (Figure 2d), although this was not considered to be the cause of the pelvic limb paraparesis.
(a-c) CT three-dimensional volume rendering reconstruction of the cervical and the
rostral thoracic spine of the affected cat and (d-f) a cat with idiopathic epilepsy as a
control. (a,d) Lateral, (b,e) dorsoventral and (c,f) ventrodorsal views are shown.
Drastic vertebral exostoses and extensive osteophytes were seen in the affected cat
(a-c) vs the control cat (d-f). Owing to the higher CT value of the affected spine,
three-dimensional volume rendering with the same colour contrast from the affected and
unaffected cats was difficult to generate
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CT-based three-dimensional volume rendering (Figure 3) and virtual endoscopy (see Video 3 in the supplementary material) were generated using an imaging workstation (AZE Virtual Place; AZE).
MRI of the cervicothoracic spinal cord. (a) Sagittal plane of T2-weighted imaging.
T2-hyperintensity lesion was identified at the T4-T5 region. Multiple intervertebral
disc protrusions and decreased T2 signal intensities of intervertebral discs were also
seen. (b) Transverse plane of T2-weighted imaging. The image was obtained along the
orange line indicated in (a). (c) Transverse plane of T1-weighted imaging after contrast
enhancement at the same level of (b). (b,c) On transverse planes, a mild dilation of the
central canal of the spinal cord with T2-hyperintensity and T1-hypointensity without
contrast enhancement at the T4-T5 region was identified
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Spinal MRI of the cervicothoracic region revealed a mild dilation of the central canal of the spinal cord with T2 hyperintensity and T1 hypointensity without contrast enhancement at the T4-T5 region (Figure 4).