A Practical Guide to Electrodiagnosis in Dogs and Cats

A Practical Guide to Electrodiagnosis in Dogs and Cats

Electrophysiologic studies can be extremely valuable for the diagnosis and characterisation of neurologic conditions in companion animals. Several publications describe the recording techniques and expected results in normal animals and, less commonly, in disease states. However, these resources can be hard to find and are often not practically summarised. Whilst it may be thought that electrophysiology in companion animals has been effaced by the increasing availability of advanced imaging techniques (e.g. magnetic resonance imaging), it remains a vital tool in the work-up of many disorders and one with which all veterinary neurology specialists need to be familiar. We propose that with basic understanding of the discipline, good methodology and practice, electrophysiology becomes very approachable, rewarding and feasible in neurology clinics.

A Practical Guide to Electrodiagnosis in Dogs and Cats aims to reach veterinary colleagues practising neurology and specialists in training who constitute the future of veterinary neurology. The authors hope to change the “I love it” or “I hate it” perception of the discipline to “I now understand this!”. This manual will allow the reader to understand the basic principles behind electrophysiology and how to practically apply these techniques in the clinic to serve their diagnostic needs and improve their patients’ outcomes. This will help to spread the use of electrophysiology more widely and, perhaps, help to establish electrophysiologic characteristics of numerous neuromuscular disorders for the benefit of companion animals.

About the authors:

Hélène Vandenberghe is a veterinary surgeon at Bristol Vet Specialists, UK. She has a strong interest in medical neurology and electrophysiology and has published and reviewed papers around those disciplines. Hélène takes an active part in teaching and lecturing in England and France. Ed Ives is Head of the Neurology/Neurosurgery service at Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists, UK. He is a Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Neurologists and an RCVS-recognised specialist in Veterinary Neurology and Neurosurgery. Nicolas Granger is Head of the neurology/neurosurgery service at Bristol Veterinary Specialists. Nicolas’ research focuses on treatments for spinal cord injury in dogs, in particular cell transplantation and neuromodulation for incontinence control.