Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Back pain and walking trouble from disk disease in older cats
By Muñana, K R et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2001·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Intervertebral disk disease in 10 cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 10 cats, averaging nearly 10 years old, were diagnosed with intervertebral disk disease, which caused symptoms like back pain, trouble walking, and incontinence. X-rays showed narrowed disk spaces and signs of pressure on the spinal cord. Seven of these cats underwent surgery to relieve the pressure, and those that had surgery showed excellent recovery. This suggests that surgical treatment can be very effective for cats with this condition.
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Abstract
The medical records of 10 cats diagnosed with intervertebral disk disease were reviewed. No apparent sex or breed predilection was found. The mean age of cats in the study was 9.8 years. Clinical signs included back pain, difficulty ambulating, and incontinence. Radiographs revealed narrowed disk spaces, mineralized intervertebral disks, and evidence of extradural compression on myelography or computed tomography. All intervertebral disk herniations occurred in the thoracolumbar spine, with a peak incidence at the fourth to fifth lumbar (L4-L5) intervertebral disk space. Eight cats had Hansen's type I intervertebral disk herniation. Surgery was performed in seven cats. All cats judged to have an excellent outcome had undergone surgical decompression.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11450840/