Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Surgery to relieve neck spinal cord pressure in toy-breed dogs
By Lee, Ji Hyeon et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2019·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Decompressive surgery for treatment of a dorsal compressive atlantoaxial band causing nonambulatory tetraparesis in three toy-breed dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Three toy breed dogs, including a 5-year-old Pomeranian, a 12-year-old Pomeranian, and a 13-year-old Yorkshire Terrier, suddenly lost the ability to walk due to a spinal cord issue. An MRI showed that a band was compressing their spinal cords, leading to their symptoms. All three dogs underwent surgery to remove the compressive band, and they had a successful recovery, regaining the ability to walk again within 18 to 30 days after the procedure. There were no complications, and they remained healthy during follow-ups lasting up to 19 months.
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Abstract
CASE DESCRIPTION: 3 toy-breed dogs (a 5-year-old Pomeranian, a 12-year-old Pomeranian, and a 13-year-old Yorkshire Terrier) were evaluated because of a sudden onset of nonambulatory tetraparesis. CLINICAL FINDINGS: In all 3 dogs, MRI revealed a dorsal compressive atlantoaxial (AA) band as the cause of the neurologic deficits. Percentages of dorsal compression of the spinal cord were 28.6%, 31%, and 28.8%. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: All 3 dogs underwent decompressive surgery via a dorsal approach. The AA band was removed, and a durotomy was performed, which resulted in spontaneous drainage of a copious amount of CSF. Grossly, the spinal cord parenchyma appeared normal, other than the dorsal compression. To alleviate the AA instability resulting from removal of the dorsal AA ligament, 2-0 polydioxanone was placed in the dorsal cervical muscles extending from the atlantooccipital joint to C2. Postoperatively, all 3 dogs regained normal ambulation between 18 and 30 days after surgery. No complications were reported, and clinical signs did not recur during follow-up times ranging from 4 to 19 months. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Findings suggested that surgical treatment may be an effective option in managing dogs with a dorsal compressive AA band causing nonambulatory tetraparesis. Notably, all of the dogs had other craniocervical abnormalities, but none of these abnormalities were considered severe enough to have caused tetraparesis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31478811/