PetCaseFinder

Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Horse with neck problems - how a special myelogram helped

By Aleman, Monica et al.·Published in The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne·2014·and The William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (Dimock, United States·View original on PubMed

PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →

Original publication title: Atlanto-axial approach for cervical myelography in a Thoroughbred horse with complete fusion of the atlanto-occipital bones.

Species:
horse

Plain-English summary

A 2-year-old male Thoroughbred horse was showing signs of problems in the upper part of his spinal cord. He had a complete fusion of the bones at the base of his skull, which made it impossible to do a standard imaging test called a myelogram. Instead, the veterinarians used an ultrasound to help guide the procedure and successfully performed the myelogram at a different location in his neck. This test revealed a significant issue where the spinal cord was being compressed in two areas. The treatment approach was effective in identifying the problem.

Abstract

A 2-year-old Thoroughbred gelding with clinical signs localized to the first 6 spinal cord segments (C1 to C6) had complete fusion of the atlanto-occipital bones which precluded performing a routine myelogram. An ultrasound-assisted myelogram at the intervertebral space between the atlas and axis was successfully done and identified a marked extradural compressive myelopathy at the level of the atlas and axis, and axis and third cervical vertebrae.

Find similar cases for your pet

PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.

Search related cases →

Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25392550/