Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Minimally invasive surgery to relieve nerve pressure in dogs' lower
By Bekiaridis, Dimitrios et al.·Published in Veterinary surgery : VS·2026·Clinic for Small Animal Surgery·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Biportal endoscopic foraminotomy of the L7-S1 neuroforamen in dogs: Description of surgical technique and ex vivo comparison with conventional open dorsolateral foraminotomy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 4-year-old mixed breed dog was treated for lumbosacral foraminal stenosis, a condition causing nerve compression in the lower back. The veterinarian used a new minimally invasive surgical technique called biportal endoscopic foraminotomy (BEF), which allowed for better visualization and more effective enlargement of the nerve openings compared to traditional surgery. The procedure was successful, and the dog showed improvement without any nerve damage. This new technique could be a promising option for dogs suffering from similar back issues.
People also search for: dog back pain treatment · lumbosacral stenosis in dogs · minimally invasive spine surgery for dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: (1) To establish a surgical technique for minimally invasive biportal endoscopic foraminotomy (BEF) of L7-S1 in dogs using arthroscopic equipment. (2) To compare BEF and dorsolateral foraminotomy (DF) and (3) to provide clinical results of the first client-owned dog treated by way of BEF. STUDY DESIGN: Ex vivo cadaveric study, case report. SAMPLE POPULATION: A total of 18 cadaveric lumbosacral spinal specimens (L3-S3). A 4-year-old mixed breed dog with lumbosacral foraminal stenosis. METHODS: A surgical technique using a 3.0 mm 30° arthroscope (BEF-A) or a 1.9 mm 0° needle arthroscope (BEF-N) was developed in six cadaveric spines. Bilateral L7-S1 foraminotomy was performed in 12 spinal specimens (24 neuroforamina) by (1) DF, (2) BEF-A or (3) BEF-N (n = 8/group). Visualization, iatrogenic nerve root damage, and foraminal enlargement were compared between the three procedures. RESULTS: BEF-A provided superior visualization compared to DF and BEF-N (p < .05). Iatrogenic nerve root damage was not observed in any of the procedures. All procedures resulted in significant enlargement of the neuroforamen (58 ± 33%, p < .01). BEF-A (81.3 ± 30.0%) resulted in significantly more enlargement compared to DF (59.7 ± 33.7%, p = .03) and BEF-N (51.1 ± 38.8%, p = .04). BEF-A was successfully used to treat a client-owned dog with L7-S1 foraminal stenosis. CONCLUSION: BEF-A provided superior visualization and efficacy compared to DF. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: BEF-A is a safe and effective surgical technique for treating dogs with L7-S1 foraminal stenosis. The technique should be evaluated in larger clinical studies.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41821254/