Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with missing spinal joints and disk rupture at T12-13 vertebrae
By Werner, Thorsten et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2004·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Aplastic articular facets in a dog with intervertebral disk rupture of the 12th to 13th thoracic vertebral space.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 6-year-old female spayed Pomeranian was brought in because she suddenly couldn't use her back legs and was also having trouble controlling her bladder. An imaging test revealed a herniated disk in her spine, and the vet found that some important bone structures were missing. The vet performed surgery to relieve pressure on her spinal cord, and fortunately, her spine remained stable afterward, so no additional support was needed. After the surgery, the dog showed signs of improvement, regaining some mobility.
People also search for: dog back leg paralysis treatment · Pomeranian bladder control issues · herniated disk surgery for dogs
Abstract
A 6-year-old, female spayed Pomeranian was presented with acute hind-limb paraplegia with the presence of deep pain perception and urinary incontinence. Myelography showed a Hansen type I herniation of the12th to 13th thoracic intervertebral space (T(12-13)). Articular facets of the T(12-13) and T(13) to first lumbar vertebra (L(1)) were absent. The spinal cord was decompressed using a bilateral T(12-13) modified lateral hemilaminectomy (pediculectomy). The aplastic sites were associated with minimal instability of the vertebral column, and stabilization of the vertebral column was not required. Familiarity with this condition is important, because articular facet aplasia may cause vertebral instability and may require an adjusted surgical approach or vertebral reduction and fusion following decompression.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15533970/