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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Seven dogs with neck disc herniation causing limb weakness

By Manunta, M L et al.·Published in Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)·2015·Department of Veterinary Medicine, Italy·View original on PubMed

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Original publication title: Hydrated nucleus pulposus herniation in seven dogs.

Species:
dog

Plain-English summary

Seven dogs with severe weakness or paralysis in their legs were diagnosed with a condition called hydrated nucleus pulposus extrusion, which was pressing on their spinal cords. The dogs underwent either conservative treatment, like rest and medication, or surgery to relieve the pressure. Remarkably, all the dogs were able to walk again within a month after treatment. Follow-up scans showed that the material causing the problem had completely disappeared in those treated conservatively, confirming the effectiveness of the treatments.

People also search for: dog paralysis treatment · dog spinal cord injury recovery · what is hydrated nucleus pulposus extrusion

Abstract

The clinical signs, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings, treatment and follow-up in seven dogs with hydrated nucleus pulposus extrusion (HNPE) are reported. All dogs had tetraparesis or tetraplegia. T2-weighted MRI revealed extradural hyperintense homogeneous material compressing the cervical spinal cord. After conservative treatment (five dogs) or surgical decompression (two dogs), all dogs returned to ambulatory function within 1 month. Follow-up MRI in conservatively treated dogs revealed complete disappearance of the extruded material. Histopathological examination of surgical specimens confirmed that the retrieved material was extruded nucleus pulposus with evidence of early degeneration.

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Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25599897/