Magnetic resonance imaging of the canine and feline eye, orbit, and optic nerves and its clinical application.

The purpose of this study was to investigate magnetic resonance imaging of the normal canine and feline eye, orbit and optic nerves using proton density-weighted, T(1)-weighted and T(2)-weighted images. The clinical application of magnetic resonance imaging in veterinary ophthalmology was also investigated using three clinical cases: a feline orbital melanoma, a feline optic nerve meningioma, and a canine orbital fibrosarcoma. Gadolinium diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid enhanced magnetic resonance imaging was completed on the case of feline optic nerve meningioma. Magnetic resonance imaging provides excellent anatomical detail of the canine and feline eye, orbit, and optic nerves due to its superior soft tissue contrast, and its multiplanar and multislice imaging capability. Therefore it is of value for diagnostic imaging of some ophthalmic and neuro-ophthalmic conditions in the dog and cat.