Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36995228›Full record

ArticleJournal of feline medicine and surgery2023

Diagnostic value of cerebrospinal fluid analysis in epileptic cats with unremarkable brain MRI or hippocampal signal changes only.

Rozalia Majercikova, Barbara C Rütgen, Nicole Luckschander-Zeller, Borbala A Lörincz, Akos Pakozdy

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of feline medicine and surgery, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
1.1field-weighted citation impact, top 24% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Epileptic seizures in cats: practical approaches to diagnosis.Journal of feline medicine and surgery · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Rozalia MajercikovaClinical Unit of Internal Medicine Small Animals, Department for Companion Animals and Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria.ORCID 0000-0002-5887-7556
Barbara C RütgenClinical Pathology, Department of Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria.ORCID 0000-0001-9080-0164
Nicole Luckschander-ZellerClinical Unit of Internal Medicine Small Animals, Department for Companion Animals and Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Borbala A LörinczClinical Unit of Diagnostic Imaging, Department for Companion Animals and Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Akos PakozdyClinical Unit of Internal Medicine Small Animals, Department for Companion Animals and Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria.ORCID 0000-0001-9816-6970
University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna · AT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesCerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis is used in the diagnostic investigation of cats with epileptic seizures. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of CSF analysis in cats with epileptic seizures that have unremarkable brain MRI or only hippocampal signal changes.

methodsUnremarkable brain MRI or MRI studies with signal alterations in the hippocampus only in cats with suspected epilepsy and CFS analysis performed at the Small Animal Internal Department or Diagnostic Imaging Department at Vetmeduni Vienna, Austria, between 2011 and 2017 were reviewed. Total nucleated cell count, total protein, blood contamination and cytology data from CSF analysis were evaluated.

resultsIn total, 87 cats were included. Seventy cats (80.5%) had unremarkable MRI, five (5.7%) had hippocampal signal changes with contrast enhancement and 12 (13.8%) had hippocampal signal changes without contrast enhancement. Overall, four cats (4.6%) had abnormalities on CSF analysis; all (100%) had an increased total nucleated cell count (22 cells/μl, 7 cells/μl, 6 cells/μl and 6 cells/μl, respectively), and no cat had increased total protein (100%), although in one cat total protein was not evaluated. Three of these cats had unremarkable MRI and one had hippocampal signal changes without contrast enhancement. The median duration of epileptic signs prior to the MRI study was 2 days. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Our results show that, in our cohort of epileptic cats with unremarkable brain MRI or with hippocampal signal changes, CSF analysis was usually normal. This should be considered before performing a CSF tap.

Indexed as

Cat DiseasesEpilepsyAnimalsCatsHippocampusMagnetic Resonance ImagingRetrospective StudiesSeizuresCerebrospinal fluidepilepsyhippocampusseizure

Identifiers

PMID36995228
PMCPMC10812015
OpenAlexW4361271910

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.