Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Lumbosacral vertebrae changes and spinal narrowing in cats
By Harris, Georgina et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2019·1 Department of Veterinary Medicine, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Lumbosacral transitional vertebrae in cats and its relationship to lumbosacral vertebral canal stenosis.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 13 cats with lumbosacral stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal in the lower back) showed symptoms like pain in the lower back, difficulty jumping, a low tail position, and issues with urination or defecation. The study found that more than half of these cats also had lumbosacral transitional vertebrae, which are abnormal vertebrae in that area. This condition was much less common in a larger group of 405 cats without spinal issues. While lumbosacral stenosis is rare in cats, having these transitional vertebrae appears to increase the risk of developing it.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Although a clear relationship has been demonstrated between the presence of lumbosacral transitional vertebrae and the development of lumbosacral stenosis in dogs, this relationship has not been evaluated in cats. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the presence of lumbosacral transitional vertebrae and lumbosacral stenosis in cats. METHODS: The medical records and diagnostic imaging studies of 13 cats diagnosed with lumbosacral stenosis were retrospectively reviewed for lumbosacral abnormalities and compared with findings of 405 cats that underwent CT for reasons unrelated to spinal disease. RESULTS: Clinical signs associated with lumbosacral stenosis included lumbosacral pain, low tail carriage, difficulty jumping, and urinary or faecal incontinence. Neurological signs included proprioceptive deficits, ambulatory paraparesis, pelvic limb ataxia, reduced spinal reflexes and reduced perianal reflex. Duration of clinical signs ranged from 1 day to 10 months (mean 3 months). Of the 13 cats with lumbosacral stenosis, seven (53.8%) were diagnosed with lumbosacral transitional vertebrae. In the control population of 405 cats, 24 (5.9%) were diagnosed with lumbosacral transitional vertebrae. Results indicated that lumbosacral transitional vertebrae were significantly ( P <0.0001) more prevalent in cats with lumbosacral stenosis compared with the control feline population (odds ratio 18.52, 95% confidence interval 6.1-62.1). Development of clinical signs of lumbosacral stenosis in cats with lumbosacral transitional vertebrae (mean 10.8 years) was not significantly different from that of cats without lumbosacral transitional vertebrae (mean 12.7 years). Likewise, there was no significant influence of breed ( P >0.99) or sex ( P = 0.29) on the occurrence of lumbosacral transitional vertebrae. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Despite lumbosacral stenosis being a rare spinal condition in cats, lumbosacral transitional vertebrae can be considered a risk factor for its development.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29788831/