Magnetic resonance imaging of syringomyelia in five dogs

This report describes the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in five d ogs to diagnose spontaneous syringomyelia. Four of the dogs had cervical sy ringomyelia associated with hydrocephalus, and one of these cases was analo gous to the Dandy-Walker syndrome in humans. The fifth dog had thoracic syr ingomyelia without hydrocephalus. It was possible to diagnose the condition antemortem in all of the dogs by MRI. It is suggested that MRI is a straig htforward and effective tool for the antemortem diagnosis of syringomyelia in dogs.