Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Intervertebral disc extrusion in six cats.
- Journal:
- Journal of feline medicine and surgery
- Year:
- 2001
- Authors:
- Knipe, M F et al.
- Affiliation:
- Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital · United States
Plain-English summary
This study looked at six cats that had a condition called intervertebral disc disease (IVDD), which affects the discs in their spine. The cats had symptoms that included problems with their spinal cord, confirmed through X-rays that showed narrowed disc spaces and other issues. All the cats underwent surgery to relieve pressure on their spinal cords by removing the damaged disc material. After the surgery, five out of the six cats showed good to excellent improvement in their movement and overall health. This suggests that cats with this condition can benefit from surgery, much like dogs do.
Abstract
Existing reports concerning intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) have focused almost exclusively on dogs, although a small number of individual case reports of IVDD of cats has been published. The medical records of six cats with IVDD were reviewed. Radiographic studies confirmed narrowed intervertebral disc spaces, mineralised intervertebral discs, and one or more extradural compressive lesions of the spinal cord in each cat. All disc extrusions were located in the thoracolumbar region. Surgical decompression of the spinal cord was achieved in all cats by means of hemilaminectomy and removal of compressive extradural material confirmed to be degenerative disc material. Good to excellent neurological recovery was noted in five of the six cats included in this report. Based on this review, it appears that IVDD of cats has many similarities to IVDD of dogs, and that healthy cats with acute intervertebral disc extrusion(s) respond favourably to surgical decompression of the spinal cord.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11876633/