Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
When dogs with back spinal problems need MRI or myelography after CT
By Emery, Lee et al.·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2018·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Investigation of parameters predicting the need for diagnostic imaging beyond computed tomography in the evaluation of dogs with thoracolumbar myelopathy: Retrospective evaluation of 555 dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 555 dogs with back problems, specifically thoracolumbar myelopathy (issues in the spine), underwent a CT scan to help diagnose their condition. The study found that only 7.6% of these dogs needed further imaging, like MRI or myelography, to get a clearer picture of their spine issues. Interestingly, Dachshunds were less likely to need additional imaging, and older dogs were more likely to require it. Dogs that did not have further imaging were much more likely to need surgery later on. Overall, CT scans are a helpful first step in diagnosing back problems in dogs.
People also search for: dog back pain CT scan · Dachshund spine problems · dog myelopathy treatment · dog surgery for back issues · why does my dog have back pain
Abstract
Thoracolumbar myelopathy encompasses a number of disease processes such as intervertebral disc disease, discospondylitis, trauma, congenital malformations, neoplasia, and intramedullary spinal cord disease. Compressive disc herniations are most common in dogs and require imaging procedures such as myelography, computed tomography (CT), and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine the need and location for decompressive surgery. The purposes of this retrospective, cross-sectional study were to evaluate all dogs undergoing thoracolumbar CT imaging as the initial diagnostic step between 2010 and 2015 and determine whether any of the imaging characteristics could be used to predict the need for additional imaging in the form of myelography, CT myelography, and/or MRI. A total of 555 dogs were identified in this time frame which underwent CT imaging for myelopathy of the thoracolumbar region. Various parameters including age, gender, sexual status, breed, chronicity, site of lesion, time of study, and contrast administration were evaluated. Findings indicated that 7.6% of dogs needed additional imaging after CT. Dachshunds were less likely to need additional imaging (P = 0.0111) as were patients scanned during normal business hours (P = 0.0075). Increasing age of the patient increased the likelihood of additional imaging (P = 0.0107). Dogs which did not have additional imaging performed were 21.89 times more likely to require surgery than those which did have additional imaging (P < 0.0001). Findings supported the use of CT as a first-line imaging modality for dogs presenting with thoracolumbar myelopathy.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29160005/