Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Lumbosacral spine defects often found with other issues in French
By Lecourtois, Camille et al.·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2023·Department of Diagnostic Imaging, France·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Lumbosacral endplate contour defect is frequently observed concurrent with other lumbosacral abnormalities on spinal CT of French Bulldogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of French Bulldogs was found to have a common spinal issue called lumbosacral endplate contour defect, which can show up on CT scans. This condition was often seen alongside other problems, like disc herniation, which can cause pain and nerve issues. In this study, nearly 92% of the dogs had some form of lumbosacral abnormality, with the most frequent being a herniated disc. While many dogs had these findings, the connection to specific symptoms wasn't clear, so it's important for owners to discuss any concerns with their vet.
People also search for: French Bulldog back pain · dog disc herniation treatment · lumbosacral spine problems in dogs
Abstract
Lumbosacral osteochondrosis has been previously described in large breed dogs with variable clinical signs. Its CT features are a contour defect at the dorsal aspect of either vertebral endplate, commonly with an adjacent fragment. Descriptions of this condition have not been previously published in an increasingly popular breed, French Bulldogs. Aims of this retrospective, descriptive, single center study were to evaluate CT lumbosacral abnormalities and the frequency of lumbosacral endplate contour defect in a large sample of French Bulldogs. The presence and location of lumbosacral endplate contour defect and the presence of a concurrent osseous fragment were recorded. Other abnormal CT findings such as L7-S1 disc herniation, cauda equina nerve roots compression or thickening, disc mineralization, endplate sclerosis, spondylosis deformans, S1 articular processes hypertrophy, transitional vertebrae, hemivertebrae, spina bifida, and block vertebrae were recorded. Lumbosacral CT abnormalities were present in 91.8% of dogs (168/183). The most common abnormality was an L7-S1 dorsal disc herniation (77.4%, 130/168). Among dogs with lumbosacral abnormalities, the frequency of a lumbosacral endplate contour defect was 47% (79/168). It mostly involved L7 (78.5%, 62/79) at its dorsolateral aspect (61.3%, 38/62). A mineralized fragment was identified in 62% of the defects (49/79). Endplate contour defects were most frequently seen with a concurrent disc herniation (93.7%, 74/79) causing nerve root compression in 63.3% (50/79) and with sclerosis (65.8%, 52/79). There was no definitive evidence of a relationship with clinical presentation in this sample of French Bulldogs; therefore, this finding should be interpreted with caution. The etiology remains unclear.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37366604/