Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Different shapes of spinal fluid cysts in dogs and what they mean
By De Frias, Joao Miguel et al.·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2024·Hospital for Small Animals, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Description and clinical relevance of the variable conformation of canine spinal arachnoid diverticula.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with spinal arachnoid diverticula (SAD), a condition affecting the spinal cord, were studied to understand how different shapes of these diverticula might impact their health. The study found that dogs with a specific type of SAD called caudal tethered had better short-term outcomes compared to those with cranial tethered SAD. Additionally, many of these dogs also had syringomyelia (SM), a serious condition involving fluid-filled cavities in the spinal cord. While the short-term results varied based on the type of SAD, the long-term outcomes were similar for both groups. More research is needed to fully understand these connections.
People also search for: dog spinal cord problems · syringomyelia in dogs · spinal arachnoid diverticula treatment · dog spinal condition outcomes
Abstract
The conformation of spinal arachnoid diverticula (SAD) and their clinical implications are poorly characterized in dogs. This retrospective cross-sectional study describes different SAD conformations in dogs and aims to identify if there is an association between SAD conformation and clinical features, localization, syringomyelia (SM) presence, concurrent vertebral condition, treatment option, and short as well as long-term outcome. Sixty-two dogs were included (12 cervical and 50 thoracolumbar SAD). All dogs with a cervical SAD had a cranial tethered conformation and were not included in the statistical analysis. Half of the dogs with a thoracolumbar SAD were cranial tethered, and the other half were caudal tethered. SM associated with SAD had a moderate prevalence in the cervical region (58.3%) and a high prevalence in the thoracolumbar region (82%). All dogs with the presence of SM and caudal tethered SAD had a cranial positioned SM, and all dogs with SM and a cranial tethered SAD had a caudal positioned SM. The SM absolute length and SM length/L2 ratio were significantly higher (P = .018, respectively) in the caudal tethered SAD compared with the cranial tethered SAD. The short-term outcome was statistically different (P = .045) between caudal and cranial tethered thoracolumbar SAD, but not the long-term outcome (P = .062). Multivariable logistic regression identified thoracolumbar caudal tethered SAD conformation had a better short-term outcome (P = 0.017, OR: 0.043, CI: 0.003-0.563), independently of SM length measurements. SAD conformation in dogs can influence SM formation. A possible link between short-term outcome and SAD conformation was found, but further research is warranted.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38572892/