Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Recovery and MRI findings in dogs with acute spinal disc extrusion
By De Risio, Luisa et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2009·Centre for Small Animal Studies, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Association of clinical and magnetic resonance imaging findings with outcome in dogs with presumptive acute noncompressive nucleus pulposus extrusion: 42 cases (2000-2007).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 42 dogs with sudden weakness or difficulty moving after trauma or intense exercise were diagnosed with a condition called acute noncompressive nucleus pulposus extrusion, which affects the spinal cord. The severity of their symptoms and MRI results were closely linked to how well they recovered. About 67% of the dogs showed improvement over time, while 33% did not recover as well. The study found that certain MRI findings were particularly helpful in predicting which dogs would do better.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess associations of severity of neurologic signs (neurologic score), involvement of an intumescence, and findings of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with interval to recovery and outcome in dogs with presumptive acute noncompressive nucleus pulposus extrusions. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. ANIMALS: 42 dogs with presumptive acute noncompressive nucleus pulposus extrusions. PROCEDURES: Medical records and magnetic resonance (MR) images of dogs evaluated from 2000 through 2007 were reviewed. Inclusion criteria were acute onset of nonprogressive myelopathy following trauma or strenuous exercise, MRI of the spine performed within 7 days after onset, MRI findings consistent with acute noncompressive nucleus pulposus extrusions, and complete medical records and follow-up. RESULTS: Clinical neuroanatomic localization of lesions was to the C1-C5 (n = 6), C6-T2 (6), T3-L3 (28), and L4-S3 (2) spinal cord segments. Median neurologic score was 3.5. Median duration of follow-up was 804 days (range, 3 to 2,134 days) after onset of neurologic signs. Outcome was successful in 28 (67%) dogs and unsuccessful in 14 (33%) dogs. Severity of neurologic signs, extent of the intramedullary hyperintensity on sagittal and transverse T2-weighted MR images, and detection of intramedullary hypointensity on GRE images were all associated with outcome on univariate analysis. Results of multivariate analysis suggested that maximal cross-sectional area of the intramedullary hyperintensity on transverse T2-weighted MR images was the best predictor of outcome. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Clinical and MRI findings can help predict outcome in dogs with acute noncompressive nucleus pulposus extrusions.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19222359/