YorkieTalk.com Forums - Yorkshire Terrier Community - View Single Post - Need insight: Sprite dx with hydrocephalus

kmarla · 04-06-2014, 05:41 AM

Our Sprite, 3.5 years old, started having seizures approx 4 months ago. She had numerous blood tests and after inconclusive results was referred to a neurologist. In the meantime she was placed on Kepra to help control the seizures. On Friday the neurologist performed an MRI which indicated hydrocephalus with COM (caudal occipital malformation) syndrome. Her left ventricle is almost 3x the size of the right. The neurologist has put her on prednisone and omeprazole in addition to kepra, but this will only help short term. She needs a ventriculoperitonneal shunt inserted to save her life. Does anyone have experience with this procedure? We are devastated and need to make a decision very quickly about whether to treat her palliatively or proceed with having the shunt inserted. Our regular vet has no experience with this procedure so can't really guide us in terms of the right decision. Any help would be very appreciated.

04-06-2014, 05:41 AM	#1
kmarla Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Ottawa, Canada Posts: 105	Need insight: Sprite dx with hydrocephalus Our Sprite, 3.5 years old, started having seizures approx 4 months ago. She had numerous blood tests and after inconclusive results was referred to a neurologist. In the meantime she was placed on Kepra to help control the seizures. On Friday the neurologist performed an MRI which indicated hydrocephalus with COM (caudal occipital malformation) syndrome. Her left ventricle is almost 3x the size of the right. The neurologist has put her on prednisone and omeprazole in addition to kepra, but this will only help short term. She needs a ventriculoperitonneal shunt inserted to save her life. Does anyone have experience with this procedure? We are devastated and need to make a decision very quickly about whether to treat her palliatively or proceed with having the shunt inserted. Our regular vet has no experience with this procedure so can't really guide us in terms of the right decision. Any help would be very appreciated.