Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Blood test for spinal injury prognosis in dogs with disc herniation
By Nishida, Hidetaka et al.·Published in Veterinary surgery : VS·2014·Nakayama Veterinary Hospital, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of serum phosphorylated neurofilament subunit NF-H as a prognostic biomarker in dogs with thoracolumbar intervertebral disc herniation.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with severe spinal cord injuries from intervertebral disc herniation (IVDH) were tested for a protein called phosphorylated neurofilament subunit NF-H (pNF-H) to see if it could help predict their recovery. The study found that dogs with higher levels of pNF-H were less likely to regain the ability to walk after surgery. Specifically, all dogs with high pNF-H levels did not recover their mobility, while those with lower levels had a better chance of walking again. This suggests that measuring pNF-H could help veterinarians assess the prognosis for dogs with serious spinal injuries.
People also search for: dog spinal injury recovery · intervertebral disc herniation prognosis · pNF-H levels in dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether pNF-H is a prognostic biomarker of spinal cord injury (SCI) in paraplegic dogs with thoracolumbar intervertebral disc herniation (IVDH). STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, case-control clinical study ANIMALS: Dogs (n = 60) with SCI from IVDH and 6 healthy dogs. METHODS: Serum from 60 thoracolumbar IVDH dogs (Grade 4: 22 dogs; Grade 5: 38 dogs) collected 1-3 days after injury, and 6 control dogs, was analyzed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) against a phosphorylated form of the high-molecular-weight neurofilament subunit NF-H (pNF-H). Serum pNF-H levels were compared between different IVDH grades and their prognostic value was investigated. RESULTS: pNF-H levels were significantly greater in Grade 5 than Grade 4 dogs. There were significant differences in pNF-H levels between dogs that regained voluntarily ambulation and those that did not. All 8 dogs that had high pNF-H levels 1-3 days after injury did not regain the ability to walk after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Serum pNF-H levels might be a biomarker for predicting prognosis of canine SCI.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24467275/