Advanced mri analysis of limbic system in canine idiopathic epilepsy

The aim of this study is to evaluate the limbic system structures in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy using advanced magnetic resonance analysis. A total of 20 dogs were used in the study. Of these, 10 dogs were included in the study after confirming the diagnosis of idiopathic epilepsy, forming the experimental group. The remaining 10 dogs, which presented with various complaints at the neurology clinic but did not have epilepsy, constituted the control group. To include the dogs in the study, a general physical examination and neurological examinations were initially performed. Subsequently, complete blood and biochemical analyses were conducted. For the patient group, EEG recordings were obtained initially to confirm the diagnosis of epilepsy. Epilepsy diagnoses were confirmed based on the identification of spike and spike-wave complexes in the EEG analyses. Then, all patients underwent conventional magnetic resonance recordings at 3T using a Siemens device. If no structural changes were detected in the brain, the study continued with the acquisition of diffusion-weighted images. Patients with any pathology detected up to this stage were excluded from the study. All obtained data were recorded for later analysis. Voxel-based image analyses of the patients were initially performed for the purpose of this study. The OsiriX analysis program was used for this. The obtained data were evaluated and compared with the control group. Based on the analysis results, a significant difference was identified between the patient group and the control group. Diffusion imaging analyses were conducted using the FSL software program, comparing the results with the control group. Using the FSL program, fractional anisotropy (FA) analyses of the images were performed. The analysis revealed significant differences, especially in the limbic system structures, with p <0.05 compared to the control group. This study concluded that it would be particularly useful for preoperative evaluation in drug-resistant epilepsies and emphasized the need for further research in this field.