Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How CT and MRI scans match surgery in dogs with lower back stenosis
By Suwankong, Niyada et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2006·Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals, Netherlands·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Agreement between computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and surgical findings in dogs with degenerative lumbosacral stenosis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 35 dogs with degenerative lumbosacral stenosis (a condition affecting the lower spine) underwent both CT and MRI scans before surgery. The scans showed a high level of agreement in identifying disk protrusions and other spinal issues, but the findings from imaging were not always perfectly matched with what the surgeons found during the operation. This suggests that while CT and MRI are useful for diagnosing this condition, they may not always predict the exact surgical findings. Overall, these imaging techniques can help veterinarians assess spinal problems in dogs, but surgery may still be necessary for a complete evaluation.
People also search for: dog back pain treatment · degenerative lumbosacral stenosis in dogs · CT vs MRI for dog spine issues
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess the extent of agreement between computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and surgical findings in dogs with degenerative lumbosacral stenosis. DESIGN: Observational study. ANIMALS: 35 dogs with degenerative lumbosacral stenosis. PROCEDURES: Results of preoperative CT and MRI were compared with surgical findings with respect to degree and location of disk protrusion, position of the dural sac, amount of epidural fat, and swelling of spinal nerve roots. RESULTS: A lumbosacral step was seen on radiographic images from 22 of 32 (69%) dogs, on CT images from 23 of 35 (66%) dogs, and on MR images from 21 of 35 (60%) dogs. Most dogs had slight or moderate disk protrusion that was centrally located. There was substantial or near perfect agreement between CT and MRI findings in regard to degree of disk protrusion (kappa, 0.88), location of disk protrusion (0.63), position of the dural sac (0.89), amount of epidural fat (0.72), and swelling of spinal nerve roots (0.60). The degree of agreement between CT and surgical findings and between MRI and surgical findings was moderate in regard to degree and location of disk protrusion (kappa, 0.44 to 0.56) and swelling of spinal nerve roots (0.40 and 0.50). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results indicate that there is a high degree of agreement between CT and MRI findings in dogs with degenerative lumbosacral stenosis but that the degree of agreement between diagnostic imaging findings and surgical findings is lower.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17173530/