Infectious and inflammatory diseases of the CNS
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2012 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Animals with meningoencephalomyelitis (MEM) typically are presented for acutely progressive, focal to multifocal neurological signs. Patients should be stabilized initially if systemic derangements (cardiovascular or respiratory) or evidence of increased ICP are/is present. When the patient is stable, the clinician should attempt to differentiate between infectious and idiopathic MEM based on the signalment, physical examination findings, the presence/absence of systemic signs, and infectious disease testing. Differentiation between infectious and idiopathic MEM is critical, and may require CSF analysis and advanced neuroimaging. Once an infectious or idiopathic differential diagnosis list is generated, the most appropriate diagnostic plan can be implemented.