Diagnosis and surgical removal of brain abscesses in a juvenile alpaca

Abstract

Case Description - A 1-month-old female alpaca was examined because of progressive clinical signs consistent with an intracranial lesion. Clinical Findings - Clinical signs included signs of depression, lethargy, tetraparesis, and neck weakness. Two large isointense intracranial masses could be seen on T1-weighted magnetic resonance images. On T2-weighted images, the masses contained concentric rings of hypointense and hyperintense material. Treatment and Outcome - 2 abscesses were removed via a craniotomy that incorporated removal of the sagittal crest and surrounding skull and transection of the sagittal sinus. The bony deficit was replaced with polypropylene mesh. The alpaca recovered within 2 weeks and was fully integrated into the herd within 1 month after surgery. Clinical Relevance - Findings indicated that surgical removal is a feasible means of successfully treating intracranial abscesses in juvenile alpacas.