Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Surgery versus rest for hydrated disc extrusion in dogs
By Nessler, Jasmin et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2018·Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Comparison of surgical and conservative treatment of hydrated nucleus pulposus extrusion in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 36 dogs with a condition called hydrated nucleus pulposus extrusion (HNPE), which can cause neck and back problems, was treated either with surgery or conservative methods like cage rest and physiotherapy. The dogs that had surgery took about 6.6 days to start walking again, while those managed conservatively took about 5.9 days. Both treatments showed similar success rates, suggesting that conservative management can be a good option for dogs with this condition. The study found that the size of the injury seen on MRI was important for predicting recovery time and survival.
People also search for: dog neck pain treatment · hydrated nucleus pulposus extrusion in dogs · dog surgery recovery time · conservative treatment for dog back problems
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Whether compressive cervical myelopathy caused by hydrated nucleus pulposus extrusion (HNPE) in dogs should be treated surgically or conservatively has been debated. Only 1 recent study has contradicted the former predominant reports of surgical treatment for HNPE. HYPOTHESIS AND METHOD: Single center retrospective study to compare the outcome of client-owned dogs with HNPE after decompressive surgery or conservative treatment. ANIMALS: Thirty-six dogs diagnosed with HNPE confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). RESULTS: Eighteen of 36 dogs underwent surgery whereas 18 dogs were managed conservatively including cage rest and physiotherapy. The most common affected intervertebral disc space was C4-5. In 3 dogs, HNPE was diagnosed at the level of T13-L1. Median time to regain ambulation was 6.6 days (range, 0-28 days) after surgery and 5.9 days (range, 0-15 days) with conservative management (P = .37). Only the length of a potential intramedullary lesion in cervical HNPE detected by MRI had an influence on the prognosis to gain ambulatory status in a time period of ≤9 days (P = .0035) and on short-term survival (P = .0011). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Conservative management of HNPE in the cervical as well as in the thoracolumbar region represents a reasonable alternative to surgery, showing similar favorable outcome.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30267615/