NEUROLOGY

A neurological exam is recommended whenever there are clinical signs referable to a problem affecting the central nervous system (encephalon or spinal cord) or peripheral nervous system (nerves and joints). Clinical manifestations may be represented by changes in mental state, movement or posture.

The neurological examination has two main objectives: the first is to answer the question whether "is this a neurologically normal or abnormal animal?", i.e. whether the patient has a neurological problem or whether the pathology relates to other systems (e.g. locomotor, cardiac, metabolic, endocrine...); the second objective, once it has been established that the problem is indeed neurological, is "where is the problem located?".

The equipment to carry out the examination is limited (all that is needed is a hammer, light source and forceps), the exam consists of patient observation (to assess mental state, posture and gait); tests for postural reactions; examination of cranial nerves; exam of spinal reflexes and sensitivity.

The most common clinical signs may be convulsions (e.g. in the course of epilepsy), handling movements (e.g. pathologies leading to intracranial compression), ataxia (e.g. vestibular or cerebellar syndromes), paresis or plegia (e.g. herniated discs), weakness (e.g. polyradiculoneuropathy).

Once the examination has been performed and the problem localised, diagnostic investigations are carried out, which can be performed at the same session (blood tests) or advanced diagnostic investigations that require the patient to be anaesthetised (e.g. CT or MRI).