Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How contrast CT helps find spinal disc problems in dogs
By Schroeder, Regina et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2011·Sierra Veterinary Specialists, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Contrast-enhanced CT for localizing compressive thoracolumbar intervertebral disc extrusion.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A dog with back pain and difficulty walking was diagnosed with a condition called thoracolumbar intervertebral disc extrusion, where a disc in the spine is pushing on the spinal cord. To prepare for surgery, vets needed to locate the exact position of the problem disc. They compared two imaging techniques: CT scans with a contrast dye and CT myelography, which is a special type of CT. The results showed that both methods were equally effective in finding the disc issue, allowing the vet to plan the surgery safely. After surgery, the dog was expected to recover and regain mobility.
People also search for: dog back pain treatment · intervertebral disc extrusion surgery · CT scan for dog spine problems
Abstract
Thoracolumbar intervertebral disc extrusion is a common disease in dogs. Surgical decompression of the spinal cord is the preferred treatment. Localization of the compressive material is critical for surgical planning. Myelography has been used for localizing extruded disc material, but this procedure carries risk of complications. Computed tomography (CT) is becoming more available for use in veterinary medicine and CT myelography is used for localization of extruded disc material. This report compares CT with intravenous contrast medium and CT myelography for identifying extruded intervertebral discs. CT with intravenous contrast medium is as effective as CT myelography for determining level and laterality of compressive disc extrusions.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21498595/