Current and Future Central Nervous System Surgery-Part 2: Radiculopathy, Vertebral Fractures, and Intracranial Surgery.

Abstract

Equine neurosurgery is a challenge for many surgeons, particularly when central nervous system (CNS) disease is not addressed through ventral cervical stabilization, the most performed neurosurgical procedure. Advances in diagnostic imaging, minimally invasive instrumentation, and computer-assisted surgery are expanding therapeutic possibilities beyond cervical vertebral compressive myelopathy, including radiculopathy, vertebral fractures, and intracranial or intraspinal masses. Emerging techniques-such as percutaneous foraminotomy, facet fixation, targeted decompression, novel implant systems, and exploratory cranium approaches offer opportunities to address neural pathology more precisely. As experience is gained from these innovative approaches, they hold promise to improve outcomes for horses with CNS disease.