AISTI > Neurology for vets > VITAMIND

VITAMIND

When the anatomical lesion localisation has been defined, the llist of the differential diagnoses should be established. It is actually not necessary to know all the posible diseases in order to make the list. Usually the disease group definition is enough. This can be made with the help of the checklist of the various disease groups hidden in the word “VITAMIND”. Every letter in the "VITAMIND" stands for the disease group:

V-vascular (bleeding, infarction)

I-inflammatory infectious (bacterial, viral, protozoal, fungal and immune mediated)

T-trauma (such as car accident, gunshot etc)

A-anomaly (developmental disorders)

M-metabolic (such as hypoglycemia or hepatic encephalopathy)

I-idiopathic (such as idiopathic epilepsy where the reason is unknown)

N-neoplastic (nervous and surrounding tissue tumors)

D-degenerative (degenerative disease of the nervous tissue but also the disk disease etc).

Focal Multifocal Acute Chronic Progressive Not progressive

Vascular + - + - - +

Inflamatory + + + + + +

Trauma + - + - + +

Anomaly + - - + + -

Metabolic - + + + + -

Idiopathic + + + + + +

Neoplastic + - - + + -

Degenerative + + + + + +

DIAGNOSTIC WORK-UP

Different parts of the nervous system can be examined with different examination techniques. Neuroanatomical localization allows choosing the further examinations which will lead to the final diagnosis.

Peripheral nervous system (nerve root, nerve, endplate, muscle)

Complete blood cell count, blood biochemistry profile, urinalysis

Electrodiagnostics (electromyography, nerve conduction studies)

Muscle/nerve biopsy, acetylcholine receptor antibodies, 2M antibodies, etc.

Brain (forebrain, brainstem, cerebellum)

Complete blood cell count, blood biochemistry profile, urinalysis

Electrodiagnostics (electroencephalography, audiometry)

Magnetic resonace imaging

Cerebrospinal fluid examination

Spinal cord and cauda equina

Complete blood cell count, blood biochemistry profile, urinalysis

Native x-rays

Cerebrospinal fluid examination

Contrast examinations (myelography, discography, epidurography)

Magnetic resonance imaging