MRI of a Split Cord Malformation in a German Shepherd Dog

A 9 yr old spayed female German shepherd dog was referred for MRI of the thoracic and lumbar spine because she had clinical signs of chronic neurogenic bladder dysfunction of an unknown cause. Transverse T2-weighted images identified a type II split cord malformation (i.e., diastematomyelia) in the thoracic spine. Split cord malformations are forms of spinal dysraphism where the abnormal development of spinal cord results in sagittal splitting of a portion of the cord into two hemicords. The location of the lesion in the thoracic spine was consistent with the dog's clinical signs of an upper motor neuron bladder. Split cord malformations that occur in humans have similar MRI characteristics and can result in similar clinical signs as those identified in the dog described in this report.