Rodolfo Cappello DVM, PhD, DipECVN, FEA, MRCVS European Specialist in Veterinary Neurology and Neurosurgery Lecturer in Neurology

Rodolfo graduated from the University of Milan in 1989 and worked in private practice for six years. In 1995 he joined the Royal Veterinary College as a Resident in Veterinary Neurology and Neurosurgery. Rodolfo achieved the European board certification in Veterinary Neurology in 1997 and became a staff clinician at the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals. In 1999, he pursued a three-year project in intervertebral disc degeneration in dogs and completed a PhD thesis. In 2003 he was appointed as Lecturer in Neurology at the Royal Veterinary College and worked at the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals until December 2007. During this period he completed a postgraduate certificate in higher education and became interested in veterinary education. In January 2008, he joined the North Downs Specialists Referral Centre in Surrey and has been appointed head of the neurology service.

The course will approach clinical neurology from the examination to the diagnosis with the aid of case examples. Topics covered in this course will also include the approach to ataxia, weakness, seizures, neuro-ophthalmology and metabolic syndromes.

Who should attend:

The course is aimed to veterinary surgeons with an interest either in internal medicine or surgery. The gradual introduction to the neurological patient will suit colleagues coming back to small animal medicine and the surgeons that would like to improve their clinical skills.

What the course will help the attendees to do:

• Perform a neurological examination
• Localise a lesion
• Formulate the appropriate diagnostic plan
• Instruct the appropriate treatment

Learning objectives:

• Localise neurological lesions
• Formulate a differential diagnosis list
• Plan and interpret the diagnostic tests
• Formulate a diagnosis and prognosis
• Discuss the treatment options (i.e surgical versus conservative)