Early Neurophysiological Abnormalities in Suspected Acute Canine Polyradiculoneuropathy.

Simple Summary: Acute polyradiculoneuritis is a common peripheral nerve disorder in dogs, in most cases self-limiting and benign. Electrodiagnostic tests are frequently performed 7 days after the beginning of clinical signs, delaying the correct diagnosis of ACP and other diseases with similar onset. This study aims to retrospectively evaluate 71 dogs with suspected cases of acute polyradiculoneuritis for whom early electrodiagnostic testing (within 6 days) was conducted on some dogs and later testing (7–15 days) on others. Dogs tested later (7–15 days) exhibited more electromyographic abnormalities. Patients tested in the first 6 days exhibited frequent motor nerve conduction and F-wave abnormalities, similar to patients tested between 7 and 15 days. Our results suggest that neurophysiological abnormalities in acute polyradiculoneuritis can be detected within 6 days, enabling an early diagnosis. Acute canine polyradiculoneuritis (ACP) is a common peripheral neuropathy in dogs, and is generally self-limiting and benign. Electrodiagnostic (EDX) tests are typically performed after 7–10 days. Delaying the definitive diagnosis may hamper the treatment of other causes of acute weakness, which may require specific treatments and may carry different prognoses. This retrospective multicenter study aims to assess whether EDX performed within the first 6 days of clinical signs onset can detect alterations indicative of ACP, and aims to characterize the most prevalent alterations. A total of 71 dogs with suspected ACP were retrospectively analyzed and classified into two groups based on EDX timing: early group (EG, 1–6 days after symptom onset) and late group (LG, 7–15 days after symptom onset). In our study, no significant differences were found between the two groups in motor nerve conduction studies (MNCSs) and F-wave analysis, indicating that EDX is able to demonstrate abnormalities even in the first 6 days from onset. Although the LG showed significantly greater degrees of electromyographic (EMG) alterations compared to the EG, frequent muscle alterations were still observed in the EG group. These findings support the use of EDX in patients with suspected ACP within the first 6 days from the clinical onset. Prompt neurophysiological examinations for suspected ACP patients can be performed effectively and can help allow for early diagnosis and facilitate appropriate treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]