Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cervical far-lateral disk herniation in 10 dogs symptoms and treatment
By Santifort, Koen M et al.·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2024·IVC Evidensia Small Animal Referral Hospital Arnhem, Netherlands·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Case series: Cervical far-lateral and combined cervical far lateral/foraminal intervertebral disk extrusions in 10 dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 10 dogs with cervical (neck) pain were diagnosed with a rare condition called cervical far-lateral intervertebral disk extrusions, which can cause severe discomfort. Symptoms included episodes of pain, persistent pain, lameness, and abnormal neck posture. All dogs were treated without surgery, using medications like gabapentinoids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and paracetamol. Most dogs showed improvement, with 78% of them feeling better within three months, and 83% remained symptom-free in the long term. One dog had a recurrence of pain but was successfully treated again with medication.
People also search for: dog neck pain treatment · cervical disk disease in dogs · non-surgical treatment for dog back pain
Abstract
Far-lateral intervertebral disk extrusions (IVDEs) have been reported infrequently in dogs in veterinary literature, mostly affecting the caudal lumbar intervertebral disks. We describe the clinical findings, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings, treatment, and outcome in 10 dogs with cervical far-lateral IVDEs. Patient databases of 3 small animal hospitals and 1 veterinary teleradiology service were retrospectively searched for patients in which imaging studies (CT or MRI) identified the presence of intervertebral disk material outside the limits of the intervertebral foramen. Presenting clinical signs included: episodic signs of cervical pain (6/10, 30%), persistent signs of cervical pain (3/10, 50%), nerve root signature or lameness (5/10, 50%), and abnormal cervical posture only (excluding nerve root signature) (1/10, 10%). Affected IVD spaces (for 11 IVDEs in 10 dogs) included: C3-4 (6/11, 55%), C5-6 (3/11, 27%), and C2-3 (2/11, 18%). Nerve root signature was not reported for C2-3 IVDEs. All cases were managed medically (without surgery). The top 3 used medications were gabapentinoids (10/10, 100%), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (10/10, 100%), and paracetamol (3/10, 30%). Median treatment duration was 25 days (range 10-84). Short-term outcome (<3 months) was recorded in 9/10 (90%) cases. Resolution of clinical signs was reported in 7/9 (78%) cases. Long-term follow-up was available for 6/10 (60%) cases (median 11.5 months, range 5.5-30 months); 5/6 (83%) showed resolution of clinical signs. Recurrence of clinical signs was reported in 1 case (9 months later), managed medically again, with successful outcome. In conclusion, cervical far-lateral disk extrusions are a rare clinical entity in dogs, but can result in severe, persistent or episodic, pain. Medical management is associated with a positive short- and long-term outcome in most cases.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39606656/