MRI Image Primer
Above is a normal MRI image of a Dalmation
Red circle is normal sized ventricle in
brain--no hydrocephalus
Yellow is normal sized cerebellum--no squashing or pinching
Green is beginning of spinal cord
Extension to left of spinal cord is the brain stem
Above is a Cavalier with SM
Red circle is showing enlarged ventricle
in brain--hydrocephalus
Yellow is showing severely squashed/pinched cerebellum
Green is showing multiple syrinxes inside spinal cord, one quite large
Blue is showing medulla--main part of the brain stem
Spinal cord
Faint white line through center of spinal cord is central spinal canal
Here is a comparison of
squashing/pinching of cerebellum--from very full to very squashed.
As you look at these you can easily see the cerebellum is more and more squashed
the further down you go.
There also appears to be a noticeable shortening of the area behind the main brain
in these
particular dogs.
If you look at the many MRIs on this site, you will note that the VAST majority
of Cavaliers are within range of the 2nd and 3rd ones.
The one at the top is extremely rare in this breed. It appears almost
normal.
They have done measurements on human
chiari sufferers and a normal control group as well.
The following is a link to a website with this article. It appears there
are significant differences
in the hind skull development between the two groups.