Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Neck spinal cord compression from cysts in 4 male dogs
By Levitski, R E et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·1999·Department of Medical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Cervical myelopathy associated with extradural synovial cysts in 4 dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Four large breed dogs, including three Mastiffs and one Great Dane, were brought in for difficulty walking and coordination issues. They were diagnosed with cervical myelopathy, which is a problem in the neck area affecting the spinal cord. Imaging tests revealed cysts causing pressure on the spinal cord, and surgery was performed to remove these cysts and relieve the pressure. After the surgery, all dogs were able to walk again, and three of them showed no further symptoms during follow-ups ranging from one to eight months.
People also search for: dog neck problems · Mastiff walking issues · Great Dane spinal surgery · cervical myelopathy treatment in dogs
Abstract
Three Mastiffs and 1 Great Dane were presented to the University of Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital for cervical myelopathy based on history and neurologic examination. All dogs were males and had progressive ataxia and tetraparesis. Degenerative arthritis of the articular facet joints was noted on survey spinal radiographs. Myelography disclosed lateral axial compression of the cervical spinal cord medial to the articular facets. Extradural compressive cystic structures adjacent to articular facets were identified on magnetic resonance imaging (1 dog). High protein concentration was the most important finding on cerebrospinal fluid analysis. Dorsal laminectomies were performed in all dogs for spinal cord decompression and cyst removal. Findings on cytologic examination of the cystic fluid were consistent with synovial fluid, and histopathologic results supported the diagnosis of synovial cysts. All dogs are ambulatory and 3 are asymptomatic after surgery with a follow-up time ranging from 1 to 8 months. This is the 1st report of extradural synovial cysts in dogs, and synovial cysts should be a differential diagnosis for young giant breed dogs with cervical myelopathy.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10357105/